Background With the aging population and the increasing number of patients with chronic diseases in China, health popularization has become crucial in enhancing public health awareness and improving quality of life. As an important force to improve public health knowledge, community doctors' popularization ability is of great significance for realizing the strategy of healthy China.
Objective This study aims to investigate the current status and training needs of community doctors in urban and suburban areas of Beijing regarding their participation in science popularization, and to explore effective strategies for improving their science communication skills.
Methods From April to May 2024, a self-designed online questionnaire was administered to community doctors in suburban Beijing. The questionnaire covers basic demographic characteristics, stages of science popularization behavior, motivations and barriers to participation, media preferences, and training needs. Descriptive statistics and intergroup comparisons were used to analyze the current state of science popularization practices among community doctors. Based on the data analysis, training needs were identified.
Results A total of 744 questionnaires were distributed, and 668 valid responses were collected, yielding an effective response rate of 89.78%. Analysis of the stages of science popularization behavior revealed that 244 respondents (36.53%) were in the intention stage, 153 (22.90%) in the preparation stage, and 152 (22.75%) in the maintenance stage. Furthermore, 157 respondents (23.50%) reported being relatively familiar with the creation of health science popularization content, while 324 (48.50%) believed that community doctors' science popularization efforts have a considerable impact on patients' healthcare experience and health management. The primary reasons cited by community physicians for their reluctance to engage in science popularization activities were lack of time and energy (72.27%, 86/119), insufficient experience and competence in science communication (57.98%, 69/119), lack of policy support and incentives (56.30%, 67/119) and low financial compensation (56.30%, 67/119). In contrast, the main motivations for participation included a sense of responsibility as healthcare professionals (75.96%, 417/549), job requirements (71.22%, 391/549), personal interest in science popularization (71.04%, 390/549), and the desire to enrich both personal and professional life (59.74%, 328/549). Among the respondents, 544 (81.44%) expressed a desire to improve their science communication skills, yet only 291 (43.56%) had participated in relevant training. The major training needs identified included: techniques for writing popular science scripts (70.51%, 471/668) ; selecting relevant topics and accurately targeting audience needs (67.66%, 452/668) ; methods for translating scientific research findings into popular science content (63.47%, 424/668) .
Conclusion Community doctors face multiple challenges in science popularization activities, including perceived lack of policy support and insufficient resource allocation. To enhance their science communication capabilities, it is recommended to strengthen policy advocacy, establish stable funding and resource investment mechanisms, conduct regular training programs for capacity building, and provide specialized training on the use of new media tools. These measures will help community doctors better leverage their advantages in community healthcare practice through effective health popularization.
