They Are Not My Problem: A Content and Framing Analysis of References to the Social Determinants of Health within Canadian News Media, 1993–2014

As public support is essential for implementing policies that act on the underlying social determinants of health (SDOH), it is important to consider how the public is exposed to this issue. This article explores how the SDOH have been represented in Canadian news media articles from 1993 to 2014. Of the 113 articles that explicitly included SDOH, housing (12.9%), income (10.5%), and poverty (9.3%) were most frequently reported. Over time, the reporting of SDOH increased, with peaks of coverage occurring at different times for different determinants (e.g., housing in 2005, income in 2009). A framing analysis revealed that the SDOH are presented in multiple ways: as an actionable issue and responsibility of government, a moral responsibility, and—problematically—as an issue that only affects disadvantaged groups. L’appui du public est essentiel pour mettre en œuvre des politiques portant sur les determinants sociaux de la sante (DSS). Il est donc important de tenir compte de la maniere dont on informe le public sur cette question. Cet article explore comment des articles parus dans des journaux canadiens ont represente les DSS de 1993 a 2014. Dans les 113 articles se rapportant explicitement aux DSS, les trois themes suivants etaient predominants : logement (12,9%), revenu (10,5%) et pauvrete (9,3%). Au fil du temps, le nombre d’articles sur les DSS a augmente, atteignant des sommets a des moments differents pour des themes differents (par exemple, logement en 2005, revenu en 2009). Une analyse des cadres a montre que les medias representent les DSS de manieres diverses : en tant que question recevable et responsabilite du gouvernement, en tant que responsabilite morale et—de maniere problematique—en tant que probleme qui touche seulement les groupes defavorises.