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Journal of community health2010; 35(4); 409-416; doi: 10.1007/s10900-010-9257-2

Media attention and public perceptions of cancer and eastern equine encephalitis.

Abstract: Previous research has found that members of the public have a skewed sense of health risk. The purpose of this research was to investigate how mass media use influences perceptions of threat from cancer and eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). Investigators performed a media content analysis of 253 health-related articles from 11 Massachusetts newspapers, then used logistic regression to analyze responses to a health communication survey of 613 Massachusetts adults. A greater proportion of cancer articles compared to those about EEE mentioned progress in combating the disease (61.0% vs. 16.2%, P < 0.0001), while a greater proportion of EEE articles mentioned new incidents of illness (35.4%, vs. 4.6% P < 0.0001). Over half of all respondents perceived EEE as an equal or greater threat than cancer. Paying a lot of attention to health media was related to higher odds of perceiving EEE as a threat (OR 2.14; 95% CI 1.03-4.45), and of perceiving EEE as a threat compared to cancer (OR 2.18; 95% CI 1.24-3.84). Media treatment of health stories that emphasize the novelty and unpredictability of EEE compared to cancer may lead to distorted perceptions of threat among news consumers.
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Publication Date: 2010-03-31 PubMed ID: 20352480DOI: 10.1007/s10900-010-9257-2Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research illuminates how mass media can influence public perceptions of health risks, focusing specifically on cancer and eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). The study discovered an inclination towards perceiving EEE as a greater or equal threat to cancer, attributed to the higher rate of novel and unpredictable portrayals of EEE in media.

Methodology and Findings

  • The study commenced with a media content analysis of 253 health-related articles extracted from 11 Massachusetts newspapers. The intention was to identify how these articles depicted cancer and EEE.
  • The research team discovered that a significantly larger percentage of cancer articles (61.0%) communicated advancements made in combating the disease, compared to EEE articles (16.2%). Conversely, a higher proportion of EEE articles (35.4%) reported on new disease incidences, contrasted to cancer articles (4.6%).
  • Following the content analysis, the researchers utilized a health communication survey to analyze responses from 613 adults in Massachusetts, aiming to ascertain how media content influences the public’s perception of these health risks.

Impact of Media Attention on Perception of Health Risks

  • The survey results indicated a skewed perception of health threats among the respondents. Over half of the participants considered EEE to be an equal or greater threat than cancer, which is inconsistent with the statistical realities of these diseases.
  • The study found a direct correlation between heightened media attention and a surge in perceiving EEE as a serious health risk. Specifically, individuals who paid considerable attention to health media had higher odds (OR 2.14; 95% CI 1.03-4.45) of perceiving EEE as threatening.
  • Moreover, comparison between EEE and cancer showed an augmented perception of EEE as a threat (OR 2.18; 95% CI 1.24-3.84) among those who fixated on health media.

Role of Media Narrative in Health Risk Perception

  • The research suggests that the media’s approach to health stories plays a crucial role in shaping public perceptions of health risks.
  • The tendency of media outlets to emphasize the novelty and unpredictability of diseases like EEE, coupled with a comparative lack of reporting on progress against such diseases, appears to distort perceptions of threat levels among news consumers.
  • The study concludes that the way diseases are portrayed in the media – emphasizing the seriousness of less common diseases and underreporting their treatment progress – can lead to imbalanced perceptions of health risk in the general public.

Cite This Article

APA
Ackerson LK, Viswanath K. (2010). Media attention and public perceptions of cancer and eastern equine encephalitis. J Community Health, 35(4), 409-416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-010-9257-2

Publication

Journal of community health
ISSN: 1573-3610
NlmUniqueID: 7600747
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 35
Issue: 4
Pages: 409-416

Researcher Affiliations

Ackerson, Leland K
  • Department of Community Health and Sustainability, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 3 Solomont Way, Suite 3, Lowell, MA 01854, USA. Leland_ackerson@uml.edu
Viswanath, Kasisomayajula

    MeSH Terms

    • Adolescent
    • Adult
    • Encephalomyelitis, Eastern Equine / epidemiology
    • Encephalomyelitis, Eastern Equine / therapy
    • Female
    • Humans
    • Logistic Models
    • Male
    • Mass Media / statistics & numerical data
    • Massachusetts / epidemiology
    • Middle Aged
    • Neoplasms / epidemiology
    • Neoplasms / therapy
    • Newspapers as Topic
    • Perception
    • Public Opinion
    • Risk
    • Young Adult

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    Citations

    This article has been cited 5 times.
    1. Sung YK, Hu HS, King B. Restaurant preventive behaviors and the role of media during a pandemic. Int J Hosp Manag 2021 May;95:102906.
      doi: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.102906pubmed: 36540688google scholar: lookup
    2. Niu Z, Willoughby JF, Mei J, Li S, Hu P. A Cross-Cultural Comparison of an Extended Planned Risk Information Seeking Model on Mental Health Among College Students: Cross-Sectional Study. J Med Internet Res 2020 May 11;22(5):e15817.
      doi: 10.2196/15817pubmed: 32441654google scholar: lookup
    3. Rowbotham S, Astell-Burt T, Barakat T, Hawe P. 30+ years of media analysis of relevance to chronic disease: a scoping review. BMC Public Health 2020 Mar 20;20(1):364.
      doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-8365-xpubmed: 32192448google scholar: lookup
    4. Jung M, Chan CK, Viswanath K. Moderating effects of media exposure on associations between socioeconomic position and cancer worry. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2014;15(14):5845-51.
      doi: 10.7314/apjcp.2014.15.14.5845pubmed: 25081712google scholar: lookup
    5. Corrin T, Ackford R, Mascarenhas M, Greig J, Waddell LA. Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus: A Scoping Review of the Global Evidence. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2021 May;21(5):305-320.
      doi: 10.1089/vbz.2020.2671pubmed: 33332203google scholar: lookup
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