A pilot study into public perception of osteopathy amongst the general public and to investigate whether there more appropriate ways to publicise osteopathy.

Christine Jefferys                                                                                                         Supervisor: Robin Kirk 

Abstract

The aim of this study is to gain an understanding of public perceptions and awareness of osteopathy and, if the public perceive osteopathy as a treatment solely for back pain and finally to determine if the osteopathic profession has been successful in promoting osteopathy as a system of health care for a wide variety of complaints. This has also been analysed further by looking in more detail at gender and different social class categories comparing peoples’ opinions and perceptions. Social class were analysed into 8 categories by using the national statistics socio-economic classifications system (Professor Rose and David Pevalin, 2001) shown in Appendix 1. There were 3 other categories, retired individuals’, housewives and students that were not banded in the social-economics classification system but were included as 9, 10 and 11 for reference. An analysis has been carried out to compare knowledge of osteopathy amongst different age categories but due to the word limit of this dissertation it has been included in appendix 2.

A questionnaire was designed and randomly given out to 150 members of the general public in Haverhill, Suffolk. The results were numerically coded and the findings described. A total of 145 questionnaires were available for analysis with 2 unreturned and 3 incorrectly completed.

Findings from this study showed that osteopathy is becoming increasingly more recognised amongst the general public with 86% that had heard of osteopathy and 14% that had never heard of osteopathy. However there still seems to be a lack of awareness about what osteopaths actually treat.

From the results of this study it proves that there is still a high percentage of people that would consult an osteopath for musculoskeletal problems, for mainly the back and neck, rather than visceral conditions. Results are presented using histograms and percentages.