ABSTRACT
Healthful living is perhaps the most primary desire known to mankind along with adequate food, sleep, sex and the need to be important. Healthful living has been idolized and sought after since the World was created. Kings, Monarchs and Rulers of State have quested for eternal life as far back in history as records have been kept. The attitude to attain and maintain a healthful status is shared by all and has been supported by social, education and health agencies throughout the World. Annually, billions of tax dollars are placed into health care programs and related services. In most cases the health care consumer (patient) is not really involved in decisions about the medical care they receive. However, the consumer can be a valuable asset to providers if active participation is attained and proper use is made of the collected information. Meaningful application of consumer information necessitates systematic collection and analysis procedures rather than a periodic sampling of opinions which is a common practice among many health care service organizations (Sommers, 1982a).
