Public information: a major tool in cancer prevention.

The methodology for an information campaign is discussed, detailing follow up in five stages: (1) assessment of needs: a good knowledge of behaviour patterns and the kind of information needed is the basic element to create the concept of a campaign. A pre-survey is an indispensable tool to secure this information; (2) basic scientific information: communication to the public has to be based on precise and recent scientific data; (3) comprehension of the information: communicating with the general public should be through texts that are clear and accessible to the greater part of the population; (4) production of supporting documents: each element of the campaign has to produce an impact on the person receiving the message; and (5) evaluating the impact of an information campaign. An evaluation can check whether objectives have been reached, and also correct errors and help prepare the next campaign even more professionally. These five stages are essential to set up a successful information campaign. We also give examples from our magazines Cancer-info and Smoke Buster-info. Through information public opinion can be mobilized to influence political decisions in the public health sector. One evidence for the importance of collective influence on political decision makers is our campaign to promote the total ban on tobacco advertising. As large-scale information campaigns need important financial resources it is essential to balance the cost to generate sufficient funds to finance further projects in the health sector; we discuss this matter as well as the impact on the image of the association.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)