Date of Award

2016

Degree Name

Doctor of Business Administration

Schools and Centres

Business

First Supervisor

Professor Helene De Burgh-Woodman

Abstract

Abstract This thesis studies the attitudes of healthcare provider and consumer groups in Qatar towards health literacy via health promotion. Using Q methodology, data from healthcare providers and consumers was analysed to determine relative attitudes towards previous and future health campaign strategies in Qatar. Consumer data was also collected to determine attitudes towards current health promotion campaigns and the perceived effectiveness of campaigns in encouraging behaviour change. The research also investigates the obstacles that prevent healthcare consumers from adopting the healthier lifestyle choices advocated by some of these campaigns. Participants were residents of Qatar.

The concept of health literacy was first defined in the early 1970s and has been conceptualised as an outcome of health promotion and health education. Yet, despite comprehensive research into health literacy in Western countries, confusion still exists about the concept and its impact.

Countries around the world are still struggling to make significant progress towards reducing key preventable health risks within their populations. These problems are also evident in the State of Qatar, where the continuous rise in indicators of unhealthy lifestyles, such as increased prevalence of preventable non-communicable diseases, may indicate the failure of past campaigns aimed at improving awareness and changing behaviour among the population. However, little research exists into health literacy through healthcare promotion in the Qatari context. This study is a modest step towards addressing this gap.

This research revealed three predominant attitudes about health literacy through healthcare promotion and the effectiveness of the delivered healthcare campaigns among the healthcare providers group. Differences lay in participants’ judgements of the current adequacy of the situation and in their suggestions for ways forward. Among the healthcare consumers group, four predominant attitudes about the usefulness and effectiveness of healthcare promotion ranged from a highly positive emphasis on personal responsibility and willingness to highly negative (“too many barriers”) and suggestions for greater community engagement as essential to healthcare promotion campaigns.

As healthcare promotion campaigns have an important role to play in supporting healthy lifestyle behaviours, this research can assist healthcare providers in Qatar to deliver future promotional health campaigns that are empowering and effective.

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