The lack of information about the health care practices and needs of Dade County adults has contributed to a delivery system which is fragmented, uncoordinated and crises-oriented. The overall purpose of this study is to help alleviate those undesirable conditions by developing an information base that will specify the health needs of Dade County adults in terms of their perceived health problems, knowledge of health practices, lifestyles conducive to optimum health and knowledge and use of health care services. / Drawing on literature relating to wellness, health education, health related behavior, the promotion of quality lifestyle, needs assessment and the conceptual framework posited for this study, a needs survey was developed to determine among adults their (1) perceived health status; (2) personal health care practices; (3) frequency of contact with health care providers; (4) personal health behaviors including cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise, nutrition, stress and hypertension management; (5) experiences with common health problems; and (6) perceived level of control over personal health. / This study, descriptive in nature, followed selected and validated procedures of telephone survey methodology. Data were derived from a stratified random sampling of Dade County non-institutionalized adult residents. Data were tabulated by frequency and percentage distribution and tested with Chi Square at the.05 level to identify the association that may exist between dependent and independent variables. Data obtained was used to address five research questions. / Findings showed significant relationships between independent and dependent variables in the following: cigarette smoking to education level; alcohol consumption to ethnic background/race, age, sex, household income, and education level; amount of stress to ethnic background/race, age, and education level; and hypertension to ethnic background/race, age, sex and household income. / Some implications are that health education programs can contribute to changes in health related practices, and consequently improved health, but such programs are only part of the total effort required to bring about significant change. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-08, Section: A, page: 2072. / Major Professor: Roy J. Ingham. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77827 |
| Contributors | McLaughlin-Buckner, Marjean., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 303 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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