Open AccessThe Australian NHMRC guidelines for alcohol consumption and their portrayal in the print media: a content analysis of Australian newspapers
Author(s) -
Wolfaardt Bronwyn M.,
Brownbill Aimee L.,
Mahmood Mohammad Afzal,
Bowden Jacqueline A.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/1753-6405.12758
Subject(s) - newspaper , content analysis , harm , print media , medicine , harm reduction , alcohol consumption , public relations , advertising , family medicine , environmental health , psychology , public health , political science , sociology , nursing , social science , alcohol , business , social psychology , biochemistry , chemistry
Objective: To measure and characterise unpaid coverage in the Australian print media of the 2001, 2007 and 2009 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol. Methods: A total of 172 articles published in Australian newspapers between 1999 and 2014 were content analysed using a coding framework aimed to define the article descriptors, article prominence, content, slant and guidelines. Results: The majority (62.2%) of articles were published between 2007 and 2009, the predominant topic being ‘the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines” with less than two‐thirds (59.2%) of the articles mentioning the specific guidelines for reducing alcohol‐related harm. Conclusions: There was low unpaid print newspaper coverage of the guidelines, which may contribute to low community knowledge of the guidelines. Implications for public health: This study provides a foundation for developing further studies and highlights the need to improve awareness of the guidelines.