C Bonfiglioli

Australian print news media coverage of sweet, non-alcoholic drinks sends mixed health messages

Objective: This study aimed to analyse the contribution of Australian print news coverage to the public profile of sweet, non‐alcoholic beverages. News media portrayal of health contributes to individuals’ decision‐making. The focus on sugar‐sweetened beverages reflects their contribution to excessive energy intake.

Physical activity in the mass media: an audience perspective

Physical activitys role in promoting health is highlighted in public health campaigns, news and current affairs, reality television and other programs. An investigation of audience exposure, beliefs and reactions to media portrayals of physical activity offers insights into the salience and influence of this communication. An audience reception study was conducted involving in-depth interviews with 46 adults in New South Wales, Australia. The sample was stratified by gender, age group, area of residence and body mass index. Most respondents could only recall media coverage of physical activity with prompting. Television was the primary channel of exposure, with reality television the dominant source, followed by news programs and sports coverage. The messages most readily recalled were the health risks of inactivity, especially obesity, and the necessity of keeping active. Physical activity was regarded as a matter of personal volition, or for children, parental responsibility. Respondents believed that the media had given physical activity inadequate attention, focused too heavily on risks and not provided practical advice. In Australia, there is a need to counter the framing of physical activity by reality television, and engage the media to generate understanding of the socioecological determinants of inactivity. Physical activity campaigns should deliver positive and practical messages.

Medicine, the media and political interests

The news media is frequently criticised for failing to support the goals of government health campaigns. But is this necessarily the purpose of the media? We suggest that while the media has an important role in disseminating health messages, it is a mistake to assume that the media should serve the interests of government as it has its own professional ethics, norms, values, structures and roles that extend well beyond the interests of the health sector, and certainly beyond those of the government. While considerable attention has been given to the ways in which uncritical publication of industry perspectives by news media can negatively impact on public understandings of health and health behaviours, we would argue that it is equally important that journalists not become the ‘lapdogs’ of government interests. Further, we suggest that the interests of public health may be served more by supporting the ongoing existence of an independent media than by seeking to overdetermine its purpose or scope.

Widening the debate about conflict of interest: addressing relationships between journalists and the pharmaceutical industry

The phone-hacking scandal that led to the closure of the News of the World newspaper in Britain has prompted international debate about media practices and regulation. It is timely to broaden the discussion about journalistic ethics and conduct to include consideration of the impact of media practices upon the populations health. Many commercial organisations cultivate relationships with journalists and news organisations with the aim of influencing the content of health-related news and information communicated through the media. Given the significant influence of the media on the health of individuals and populations, we should be alert to the potential impact of industry–journalist relationships on health care, health policy and public health. The approach taken by the medical profession to its interactions with the pharmaceutical industry provides a useful model for management of industry influence.

Portrayal of psychiatric genetics in Australian print news media, 1996-2009

Objective: To investigate how Australian print news media portray psychiatric genetics.

Investigating the media power of a population health monitoring survey: case study of the NSW Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (SPANS)

Objective : To examine the extent and nature of news coverage of a government‐funded population monitoring survey of children and the potential implications of this coverage for public health advocacy.

Overselling Sit-Stand Desks: News Coverage of Workplace Sitting Guidelines

ABSTRACT The first quantitative, specific recommendations for sitting time at work were released in June 2015. This paper examines the implications of news coverage received by this position statement. Media reports about statement published May, 31–June, 29, 2015 were analyzed according to five recommendations and three caveats extracted from the guidelines’ press release. Information about how physical activity was framed and mentions of conflicts of interest were recorded. Of 58 news reports, nine reported all five recommendations in the position paper. The topline recommendation (two hours daily of standing and light activity) was reported in all articles. Alleviating musculoskeletal discomfort by sitting less was not reported by 72% of reports. Physical activity was mentioned in 32 reports: 69% said physical activity did not attenuate the risks of prolonged sitting. No reports mentioned any potential conflicts of interest despite co-author links to sit-stand desk industry. These results demonstrate the need to balance public and market demands for public health guidance around sitting; and could encourage more accurate communication of research outcomes. The physical activity component of the “move more and sit less” message requires greater efforts to raise its public salience.

Reporting Physical Activity: Perceptions and Practices of Australian Media Professionals.

BACKGROUND Advocacy informed by scientific evidence is necessary to influence policy and planning to address physical inactivity. The mass media is a key arena for this advocacy. This study investigated the perceptions and practices of news media professionals reporting physical activity and sedentariness to inform strategic communication about these issues. METHODS We interviewed media professionals working for major television, radio, newspaper and online news outlets in Australia. The interviews explored understandings of physical activity and sedentariness, attributions of causality, assignment of responsibility, and factors affecting news reporting on these topics. Data were thematically analyzed using NVivo. RESULTS Physical inactivity was recognized as pervasive and important, but tended to be seen as mundane and not newsworthy. Sedentariness was regarded as more novel than physical activity, and more likely to require organizational and environment action. Respondents identified that presenting these issues in visual and engaging ways was an ongoing challenge. CONCLUSIONS Physical activity researchers and advocates need to take account of prevailing news values and media practices to improve engagement with the news media. These include understanding the importance of novelty, narratives, imagery, and practical messages, and how to use these to build support for environmental and policy action.

Overweight and Obesity in TV News

Overweight and obesity are widespread, with about two-thirds of British, American and Australian people overweight or obese (IASO 2013). Overweight and obesity are associated with health risks, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer and health care costs (Colagiuri et al. 2010). These biomedical and economic views of weight as a disease to be cured and a cost to be contained are challenged as ideological positions built on assumptions that weight is a problem, obesity is an epidemic and fat people are diseased (Campos 2004; Gard and Wright 2005), and obesity measures such as the Body Mass Index (BMI) are objective ways to categorize people of size. However, the BMI, which uses the ratio of height to weight to categorise people as underweight, healthy weight, overweight, obese or morbidly obese, has been challenged for various reasons. These include that it medicalises healthy large people as diseased, fails to focus on risky abdominal fat and may categorise muscular bodies as obese (Evans and Colls 2009). Other discussions centre on whether nutrition is more important than exercise, whether particular foods or drinks should be held responsible, who or what is responsible and what responses are appropriate. The news media influence community policies (Maibach 2007: 360). They are recognised as an important source of health information (Wade and Schramm 1969; Johnson 1998), a driver of consumer demand (Appadurai 1986), a powerful influence over health behaviours and a critical arena for the struggle for semantic control (Gitlin 1980; Ryan 1991).

Mapping solutions to obesity : lessons from the Human Genome Project

Objective: To discuss appropriate endpoints for research designed to prevent obesity. Research investigating practical solutions to the complex multi‐factorial global obesity epidemic may be stalled by undue emphasis on reduced body weight as the only acceptable endpoint.