AMERICANS DEMONSTRATE BURNING NEED FOR HEARTBURN EDUCATION
For more information, contact:
(877)471-2081
nhbainformation@heartburnalliance.org
New National Alliance Launches 'Get Heartburn Smart' Campaign
CHICAGO (May 18, 2000) — Recent survey results released by the National Heartburn Alliance indicate that millions of Americans could get burned by a lack of basic knowledge about heartburn. Although the potentially serious ailment has been linked to complications such as asthma, chronic cough and even cancer in rare cases, 64 percent of heartburn sufferers are not aware that heartburn could cause serious complications if left untreated. And 43 percent of people with heartburn do not even consider heartburn to be a medical condition.
Heartburn strikes more than 50 million Americans at least once a month — or the same number of people who suffer from the common cold each year — according to statistics from the National Institutes of Health.
"People joke that heartburn is the 'Rodney Dangerfield' of the medical community — it gets no respect. The results of this survey should serve as a wake-up call to patients and health professionals by demonstrating that many heartburn sufferers do not understand the symptoms, treatments and possible complications of one of our country's most common medical complaints," said David Peura, M.D., associate chief and professor of medicine, division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Virginia and Board member of the National Heartburn Alliance (NHBA), a new group formed to improve the lives of heartburn sufferers through education, information and support.
Organization Takes Need for Education to Heart
To address the educational gaps and misperceptions about heartburn highlighted by the survey, Dr. Peura and a group of other prominent gastroenterologists, primary care physicians, pharmacists and other health care professionals with expertise in nutrition and exercise have joined to form the National Heartburn Alliance (NHBA).
The NHBA will begin its efforts with a new campaign called Get Heartburn Smart. The campaign seeks to elevate awareness of heartburn through consumer-friendly materials, a Web site and activities with other health care associations. The Alliance's first public outreach will occur during Digestive Disease Week (DDW) where Dr. Peura will lead a public forum sponsored by the American Gastroenterlogical Association (AGA) about heartburn for local residents in San Diego. DDW, the world's largest annual gathering of leading authorities in gastroenterology, takes place May 20-24, 2000.
"The Alliance's goal is to make sure people understand that heartburn should not be ignored or endured," said Peura. "Heartburn can and should be controlled — both to improve the quality of life and to avoid possible complications in the long-run."
Unaware of Treatments; Ignoring Symptoms
The NHBA survey, also demonstrates that many heartburn sufferers do not understand their basic heartburn treatment options. Only 40 percent of sufferers have discussed their heartburn with a doctor or pharmacist, and almost half list "trying to ignore heartburn" as a preferred treatment. About the same number of heartburn sufferers report using over-the-counter remedies as those who use home remedies. Ironically, however, most of the home remedies cited — mint, tomato juice, spicy foods and sodas — can actually exacerbate heartburn symptoms.
The national survey was fielded by Yankelovich Partners in January of 2000 to determine attitudes and perceptions of heartburn sufferers, knowledge of heartburn symptoms and treatments, and the impact of heartburn on sufferers. The random telephone survey sample included more than 1,000 adults, half of whom had suffered from heartburn and half who did not believe they had experienced heartburn incidents. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percent.
For more information about Get Heartburn Smart or the National Heartburn Alliance, consumers and health professionals can contact the NHBA toll-free at (877) NHBA-INFO (877-642-2463) or through the group's Web site, www.HeartburnAlliance.org. The NHBA receives support and sponsorship from The P&G Health Sciences Institute.
