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impact on the public, although the group voting varied
from third to eleventh place. School children placed
posters last - a fact which suggests that greater regard
should be paid to their design and method of presentation.
It may well be that numbers of posters on a variety of
topics, displayed at the same time, confuse rather than
impress.
The health educational value of maternity and child
welfare centres is emphasised only by those who attend
them. Presumably, those who placed them low on the list
all males and most females - had only meagre knowledge
of their activities.
Question 2. Have you been visited by a health visitor
or other social worker and did you find the
advice of benefit?
Ninety-one persons said they had been visited by a
health visitor or other social worker. Of these, 73
found the advice beneficial.
Question 3. What recent item of health propaganda
impressed you most?
The recent items of health propaganda which impressed
most people (32%) were those concerned with poliomyelitis
and its prevention. Since this disease is now receiving
a good deal of publicity in the national press and elsewhere,
and the enquiry was held during an intensive
national campaign for immunisation, this is not an unexpected
result. The association of smoking and lung
cancer was frequently mentioned (9.5%) and this also
coincided with increased publicity on this subject.
Despite intensive local publicity, clean air was
mentioned by only nine persons. A wide variety of
subjects were quoted, including a number of references to
articles in 'Family Doctor'.
The impact of commercial television advertising on
the public mind is demonstrated by the statement of a
respondent who was most impressed by an advertisement for
an analgesic.
Question 4. Is commercial advertising more effective than
health propaganda?