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How informative is the print media coverage of colorectal cancer?
Author(s) -
Jones I. H.,
Williamson J. M. L.,
Hocken D. B.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
colorectal disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.029
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1463-1318
pISSN - 1462-8910
DOI - 10.1111/j.1463-1318.2011.02607.x
Subject(s) - newspaper , medicine , colorectal cancer , print media , family medicine , cancer , advertising , business
Aim To date there has been no assessment of the educational content of colorectal newspaper articles. We aimed to analyse articles in the print media concerning colorectal cancer for their public health content. Method Articles mentioning colorectal cancer in the top 10 UK newspapers were analysed over a 1‐year period for their educational content. The number of articles mentioning ‘red flag’ symptoms, celebrity connections or specific cancer charities was recorded. Results Of the 349 articles identified, 146 were not relevant. Of the remaining 203 articles, 62 (30%) were concerned with celebrities with colon cancer, 13 (6.4%) made reference to red flag symptoms and 14 (6.9%) mentioned cancer charities by name. Conclusion About 13% of newspaper articles have any educational content. If this increased, the general public might benefit.