Print Material Purchasing Decisions in Health Education Practice

Abstract

This study identified the decisions used in purchasing brochures for health education using a print material checklist. A questionnaire with two randomly assigned pairs of pamphlets on nutrition was mailed to 103 health educators. Eighty-one participants recorded the degree to which each pamphlet met the stated items of each subscale and indicated their preference for one of the two pamphlets, given the target audience(s) they most often served. Using binary logistic regression, the message content (p<0.000) and visuals and format (p<0.001) subscales were found to be significant predictors for purchasing/selecting pamphlets. Participants preferred appealing visuals, graphics, and format and also emphasized message content and sensitivity. Readability and other material construction items were less important. This study identified how purchase decisions are made in health education practice, and identified issues that promote objectivity in selecting quality print material.