Making sense of cancer news coverage trends: a comparison of three comprehensive content analyses.

Cancer stories (N = 5,327) in the top 50 U.S. newspapers were analyzed by a team of four coders and the results were compared with the earliest analyses of this type (from 1977 and 1980).

Frequently cited sources in cancer news coverage: a content analysis examining the relationship between cancer news content and source citation.

The media are a frequent and sometimes sole source of cancer information for many people. News coverage of cancer can be influential to cancer-related practices such as prevention or detection behaviors, and sources cited by journalists may be influential in shaping this coverage. A content analysis (n = 3,656 stories) revealed that the most frequently cited sources in cancer news articles-research institutions and medical journals-receive disproportionately more attention compared to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the American Cancer Society (ACS), and pharmaceutical companies.

Effects of newspaper coverage on public knowledge about modifiable cancer risks.

This study explores the relationship between cancer newspaper coverage and public knowledge about cancer prevention, confirming self-reported associations between news exposure and cancer prevention knowledge with descriptions of newspaper coverage of modifiable cancer risks. Content analyses (N = 954) revealed that newspapers pay relatively little attention to cancer prevention. However, there is greater newspaper attention to tobacco and diet than to exercise, sun, and alcohol.

Psychosocial factors associated with skin self-exam performance.

Objective: The authors examined psychosocial factors associated with skin self-exam (SSE) performance by young adults.

Participants And Methods: The authors administered surveys to 218 US college students (aged 18-26 years) attending a large midwestern university.

Results: Contrary to prior research, men (44%) and women (49%) were relatively similar in the frequency with which they performed at least 1 SSE in the previous year.

Prevention and screening efficacy messages in newspaper accounts of cancer.

The news media are a primary source of cancer prevention and detection information for the general public, but little is known about the content of cancer prevention and detection messages in mainstream media. This study examines how cancer prevention and screening efficacy messages are presented in cancer news media coverage. Efficacy messages provide information about skills related to prevention and screening behaviors.