An assessment of the computing habits of health promotion professionals

A non-experimental methodology was used to assess some of the key computer-related patterns of use, habits, behaviors, and attitudes of health promotion professionals. A 24.7% response rate was obtained from the 23-item questionnaire that was developed for and administered to a sample population at an annual health promotion conference. The results indicate that the respondents viewed computers as worthwhile in the workplace and, in general, the user profiles of the sample were typical of moderate-to-high user populations in several key areas. Moreover, a very high percentage of respondents reported favorable ratings for the worth of computers in health promotion activities and they used computers relatively often with their clients for a variety of tasks. Data on the demographic variable, the types of use, and the relative importance of a set of barriers to the use of computers in health promotion activities are presented. Recommendations for further research that relate to the use of technology for health promotion are included.