April 15, 2003
Poll shows Washington residents believe too little is spent on protecting health with disease prevention research
Seattle — A poll released today (April 14) indicates that nearly three-quarters of Washington state residents believe too little is spent on prevention research and that current spending should be more than doubled. Eighty-four percent would be more likely to vote for a candidate for a public office if he or she supported increased funding for research to find cures for, and to prevent, disease.
Prevention research focuses on preventing disease, disability and injury and promoting health.
The poll was commissioned by Research!America through funding by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and in consultation with the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine.
Research!America is a not-for-profit alliance working to make medical and health research a higher national priority.
Currently, the United States spends about one cent of every health-care dollar on prevention research. The poll shows that 74 percent of surveyed Washington residents believe that amount is too little. When asked how much would be the right amount, 72 percent indicated the right amount would be from 2 cents to more than 10 cents of every health-care dollar for prevention research. The range was: 2 to 3 cents per dollar (12 percent), 3 to 6 cents per dollar (23 percent), 6 to 10 cents per dollar (19 percent) and more than 10 cents per dollar (18 percent).
Ninety-three percent of Washington residents believe that conditions that reduce the length of life, such as cancer and heart disease, should be a “top or somewhat high” prevention research focus. That same percentage believes disease prevention research should also focus on ways to ensure that all Washington residents can get the health care they need.
Affordable health insurance (84 percent), initiatives to help the elderly get needed prescription medications (80 percent) and programs to prevent tobacco use (79 percent) all ranked high on Washingtonians’ beliefs about how the state government should spend the millions of dollars received from tobacco companies as part of the tobacco settlement. A majority of those surveyed associate not smoking (75 percent), safe sex (74 percent), wearing a seat belt (72 percent) and vaccinations (60 percent) with promoting health and the prevention of disease, disability and injury.
“I am very pleased to see the strong support from Washingtonians for prevention research, and we welcome any opportunity to further this mission in the region,” said Dr. James LoGerfo, director of the Health Promotion Research Center, UW School of Public Health and Community Medicine, and a professor of medicine and health services at UW. “Our center focuses on working with community partners to promote healthy aging through improved health behaviors — especially among those groups having the greatest disparities in health.”
“This poll clearly shows that Washington residents support more spending on–and the protection afforded by — prevention research. Investing in prevention research improves quality of life while creating a cost savings for society,” said Mary Woolley, president, Research!America.
Dr. Eduardo Simoes, director of the Prevention Research Centers Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says he knows that prevention research is helping people lead healthier lives — and with adequate support, will continue to do so in the future.
“For example, we know that about 80 percent of adult smokers started smoking before age 18 and that every day, nearly 5,000 young people try their first cigarette,” Simoes said. “But surveys also show that since 1997, the percentage of high school students who say they smoke has declined each year. Prevention programs help stimulate change, and prevention research can help make sure this trend continues.”
Other findings:
When told that studies show that certain health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and infant mortality happen more often among people with lower incomes and among minorities, 91 percent said they felt it was very or somewhat important to conduct medical or health research to eliminate these differences.
88 percent of those surveyed felt that improving access to health care services was a very or somewhat persuasive reason for increasing support for health promotion and disease prevention research.
78 percent said they would strongly or somewhat favor increasing the sales tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products in order to help increase funding for health promotion and disease prevention research.
Respondents viewed as “extremely important” programs to:
-Help Washington residents get health insurance coverage. (55 percent)
-Help people who need it get mental health services. (43 percent)
-Prevent tobacco use. (36 percent)
-Promote healthy communities, such as greater availability of affordable nutritious food and safe places to exercise. (33 percent)
Those surveyed most trust doctors and health-care professionals such as nurses, dentists and pharmacists to inform them about the benefits from research on healthy lifestyles such as physical activity, eating a healthy diet and not using tobacco. Voluntary health associations such as the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society are also a trusted source for this sort of information.
The poll of 800 Washington state adults (ages 18 and older) was conducted by telephone between Feb. 3 and March 3, 2003 by Harris Interactive. Data were weighted to be representative of all adult residents of Washington by using 2002 Current Population Survey statistics for sex, age, race or ethnicity, education, income, metropolitan statistical area, household size and number of telephone lines in the household. In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus three percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy.
About Research!America and Harris Interactive
Research!America is a not-for-profit, membership-supported public education and outreach alliance founded in 1989 and dedicated to making medical and health research–including research to prevent disease, disability and injury and to promote health–a much higher national priority. Its membership includes more than 450 academic institutions, hospitals, independent research institutes, professional and scientific societies, voluntary health organizations, and business industries. Research!America conducts public opinion polls and outreach programs and provides a unified link between the voice of citizens who strongly support research and the influence of local, state and national opinion leaders and decision makers.
Harris Interactive (www.harrisinteractive.com) is a worldwide market research and consulting firm best known for The Harris Poll?, and for pioneering the Internet method to conduct scientifically accurate market research. Headquartered in Rochester, New York, Harris Interactive combines proprietary methodologies and technology with expertise in predictive, custom and strategic research.
###
