Advancing the understanding of palliative care in Singapore: knowledge, attitudes, receptiveness, and the moderating role of media information-seeking preferences

Introduction Despite the growing demand for palliative care, this specialized medical care remains severely underutilized, with almost 50% of countries worldwide lacking access. Given that misperceptions and stigma continue to hinder progress in healthcare policy, this study aims to examine the relationships between palliative care knowledge, attitudes, and receptiveness to better understand how public health communication can enhance awareness and understanding of the topic in Singapore. Applying the adapted knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) model, it further extends theory by examining the moderating role of media information-seeking between knowledge and receptiveness. Methods Mixed-mode surveys involving 1,226 participants (926 online and 300 in-person respondents), representing various population groups, were carried out in the city-state. To ensure a representative sample of the general population, data from diverse age groups from 21 to 61 years and above were collected to provide a broad and accurate assessment based on five hypotheses guided by our theoretical model. Our respondents’ knowledge of palliative care, attitudes toward end-of-life care planning, receptiveness to palliative care, information-seeking preferences, and demographic profiles were assessed and statistically analyzed using the PROCESS macro in SPSS. Results Our findings validated the KAP model (adapted), which suggested that a higher level of knowledge is associated with a more positive attitude, which in turn has a positive impact on receptiveness. Our study further found that the relationship between palliative knowledge and receptiveness was stronger among individuals who frequently acquired information via digital media; however, this relationship did not hold for those who acquired information via traditional media. Conclusion Our findings concurred with previous studies that validated the KAP model used to investigate other public health issues among healthcare professionals. Given that the literature is limited on the validation of this model on the acquisition of palliative care knowledge among population groups, this study closes critical knowledge gaps by being one of the few studies to offer insights into developing effective media strategies needed for public health communication and education to increase awareness of palliative care within a country’s population.