JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

In traditional Chinese culture, discussing death has always been taboo. The social environment characterized by fear, reluctance, and apprehension towards death significantly impedes the development of palliative care. Therefore, establishing a correct view of life and death and promoting life education are prerequisites for the successful implementation of palliative care.

Objective:

This study aimed to investigate the public acceptance of life education among individuals in China and analyze the explanatory variables.

Methods:

This national cross-sectional study was conducted from June 20 to August 31, 2022, encompassing 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, and 4 municipalities directly under the central government. A total of 21875 participants were included. The generalized linear model was used to analyze influencing factors. Gender, major of medicine, place of residence, education level, family health, media use and etc. were analysed as the potential variables. Acceptance scores were calculated based on a visual analog scale. Further subgroup analyses were carried out in different age and major subgroups.

Results:

The mean acceptance score for life education in the survey was 71·00 points. Compared with women, men had lower acceptance (β=-2·39 [95% CI, -3·08 to -1·69]). Respondents who were majoring in medicine (β=3·13 [95% CI, 1·11 to 5·14]), residing in urban area(β=1·25 [95% CI, 0·46 to 2·04]), processing a bachelor’s degree or higher (β=4·05 [95% CI, 2·97 to 5·12]), or higher scores on the media use(β=0·49 [95% CI, 0·41 to 0·57]) had higher acceptance. Compared with people aged 12 to 18 years , those aged 25 to 44 years (β=-6·00 [95% CI, -7·34 to -4·66]), aged 45 to 64 years (β=-4·55 [95% CI, -5·88 to -3·22]), and 60 years or older (β=-2·16 [95% CI, -3·78 to -0·55]) had lower acceptance. For people majoring in medicine, place of residence, family health and media use were uniquely relevant factors.

Conclusions:

Gender, place of residence, education level, age, and media use were the main factors influencing the level of acceptance of life education, which can guide the government in proposing targeted improvement measures.