Media and Health

This study examined the newspaper coverage of HIV/AIDS, malaria and polio in Nigeria to determine the level of attention Nigerian newspapers have given to these three diseases in their reportage over the years vis-a-vis their high prevalence in the country. The author performed content analysis on four Nigerian national newspapers covering from 2010 to 2013. Findings show that Nigerian newspapers have not given adequate attention to HIV/AIDS, malaria and polio in their health coverage. This, therefore, suggests that this may have contributed to the high prevalence of these diseases in Nigeria. The author, therefore, calls for more newspaper coverage of these diseases by Nigerian newspapers as well other media in order to reduce their prevalence in the Nigerian society. Keywords: HIV/AIDS, malaria, polio, newspaper, health reporting, Nigeria.

The insecurity challenges in Nigeria seem to intensify by the day, probably due to the political situation in the country or the economic hardship that engulfs the country. The media, being the watchdog of society, scrutinizes and determines what and when to report the incident. The media can manipulate people's perceptions, escalate a crisis, or bring the crisis under control. The linguist and discourse analyst interpret the language of the media based on the situation. This study, however, critically investigates the editorial discussions on the issues of insecurity in Nigeria. The newspapers under study include The Guardian, Vanguard and Punch Nigerian newspapers, from April 2021 to December 2022. The study adopted Halliday's systemic functional linguistic and Tuen van Dijk's Media Critical discourse for the theoretical framework. Qualitative and descriptive methods were adopted for the data analysis. The study finds the use of different linguistic devices in the form of evaluative adjectives and adverbs, generic phrases, rhetorics, and idioms for the expressions of different opinions and attitudes towards the state of insecurity in the country. The study recommends more studies on media discourses on insecurity, studies on editorials and other social media platforms to see how to solve the problems of insecurity with the use of language.

This study examined the newspaper coverage and Port Harcourt residents' perception of Monkey pox outbreak. The objectives were to examine the prominence and frequency given to monkey pox outbreak in The Guardian and vanguard newspapers. To ascertain the level of awareness of Port Harcourt residents on monkey pox outbreak messages from newspapers reportage. The study adopted a mixed research method and the population of the study consisted of 732 issues of The Guardian and Vanguard newspapers published between July 2021 to June 2022. For the audience perception, the population of Port Harcourt according to National Bureau of Statistics in 2022 stood at 3,325,000. The systematic random sampling technique was adopted to choose issues at interval of eight days and 46 samples from each newspaper. The sample size of 384 for the perception study was draw using Krecie and Morgan sample table. The study made use of coding sheet for content analysis and a questionnaire method for survey. Simple percentages and weight means score were for data analysis of content analysis and survey in order to gather data. The results revealed that The Guardian and Vanguard newspapers gave low prominence to the story of Monkey pox outbreak and confirmation of cases of monkey pox had the highest frequency of reportage. Another finding showed that Port Harcourt residents were much aware of Monkey pox outbreak from newspaper reportage and they perceived the newspaper coverage as adequate and informative. The study recommended that newspaper should always place issues of health in strategic positions because placement is a strong index of prominence which allows for transparent and objective measurement.

The objective of the research was to map the discourse about herbal medicine in Australia’s primary medical journal, the Medical Journal of Australia, over 4 decades. Manifest content analysis of 148 articles about herbal or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in journal articles from 1966 to 2008 was undertaken. Issues of risk dominated the discourse about herbal medicine in the journal (70%), with a focus on adverse events (42%) as the most significant risk of herbal and other complementary medicines. Toxicity (23%) and drug interactions (18%) were the most frequently mentioned specific risk items. Items that acknowledged efficacy (32%) outweighed those suggesting ineffectiveness (11%). Case reports, reviews, research articles, and letters all had risk frequencies of more than 70%. Review articles and research articles had a high rate of reference to both risk and benefit. Review articles were found to have greater reference to benefit than risk. Possible reasons for thes...

Lasswell had identified the surveillance function of the media as instructive in meeting society needs, such as in the process of disease control and prevention. Relying on the survey design and a 32-item structured questionnaire which focused on the tenets of the diffusion and agenda setting model as well as the surveillance functionality, and distributed purposively to 600 respondents, the study evaluated what influence surveillance campaigns had on disease control and prevention in Nigeria with emphasis on the EVD. The questionnaire was structured using the Likert scale. The data gathered was analyzed using the weighted mean for the individual items; and the Pearson 'r' to test the three hypotheses. After analysis, the study established three points of influence of surveillance campaigns on the society. First is that it could result in negative consequences such as panic if not well managed; it could provide sufficient support for disease management as seen in the EVD incidence in Nigeria if properly managed; and that effective and well thought-out surveillance campaign will correlate positively in controlling and preventing diseases such as EVD to the point of heightening health education, health promotion and health literacy. All the citizens needed to do is acquire, activate and apply these information to the phenomenon, and, information managers should ensure strategic management of information on health and diseases.

Enhancing the quality of health of Ghanaians is central to the ability of the country to create and maintain a healthy pool of labor force for its socio-economic development as well as enabling people to live in dignity. The media can influence people with relevant information to empower them in their health-seeking behavior and attitudes. Through a content analysis of three newspapers – Daily Graphic, Ghanaian Times, and Public Agenda – this paper interrogates how Ghanaian newspapers portray shared understandings of issues and problems of health through framing of newspaper articles to empower readers towards attainment of greater health. The paper examines how health issues are framed and the kinds of solutions offered to address them.

This study examined the newspaper coverage and Port Harcourt residents' perception of Monkey pox outbreak. The objectives were to examine the prominence and frequency given to monkey pox outbreak in The Guardian and vanguard newspapers. To ascertain the level of awareness of Port Harcourt residents on monkey pox outbreak messages from newspapers reportage. The study adopted a mixed research method and the population of the study consisted of 732 issues of The Guardian and Vanguard newspapers published between July 2021 to June 2022. For the audience perception, the population of Port Harcourt according to National Bureau of Statistics in 2022 stood at 3,325,000. The systematic random sampling technique was adopted to choose issues at interval of eight days and 46 samples from each newspaper. The sample size of 384 for the perception study was draw using Krecie and Morgan sample table. The study made use of coding sheet for content analysis and a questionnaire method for survey. Simple percentages and weight means score were for data analysis of content analysis and survey in order to gather data. The results revealed that The Guardian and Vanguard newspapers gave low prominence to the story of Monkey pox outbreak and confirmation of cases of monkey pox had the highest frequency of reportage. Another finding showed that Port Harcourt residents were much aware of Monkey pox outbreak from newspaper reportage and they perceived the newspaper coverage as adequate and informative. The study recommended that newspaper should always place issues of health in strategic positions because placement is a strong index of prominence which allows for transparent and objective measurement.

The objective of the research was to map the discourse about herbal medicine in Australia’s primary medical journal, the Medical Journal of Australia, over 4 decades. Manifest content analysis of 148 articles about herbal or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in journal articles from 1966 to 2008 was undertaken. Issues of risk dominated the discourse about herbal medicine in the

This study investigates the media coverage of one of the most threatening and publicized disease outbreaks in parts of Africa particularly Nigeria and Liberia, between 2014 and 2015. The study focuses on two Nigerian most widely read newspapers and engages with questions of salience/prominence, framing, etc

The present article starts from Reese's thesis (1997) according to which journalism is an activity of collecting empirical information, in which various activities have developed (Reese, 1997: 423). The paradigm of journalism is seen by Schudson (1997) as a model that governs the collection of information. In his seminal work on journalism as profession, Schudson (1997) assessed that the true parading of journalism is revealed through practice and is based on some excellence criteria related to the impact of this activity on the public (Schudson, 1997: 8). The article has as its aim to identify the peculiarities of health journalism in Romania. We have started from the assumption that in this case, the health journalists are crossing borders with social and investigative journalism – many of them are migrating from social topics to strict medical topics coverage. Once specialised, they offer a closer and more accurate perspective of the health medical system they covered in their everyday activity. In order to see what are the main traits of health journalism in Romania, we have analysed a set of 24 interviews conducted in February-May 2014. The interviews were made with journalists working directly with the health system representatives and care providers, as well as with health authorities and institutions. The results showed that journalists had declared general negative perceptions about the medical system in Romania. They have defined the Romanian health system as a dysfunctional one (although the aim of the interviews it is not to criticise the system or the professionals), a system which is " in a profound and structural crisis ". Also, the journalists have stressed the lack of patient education in relation with their doctors-the " bribe " being seen as the cornerstone of this relation. The future of health journalism in Romania is seen in a rather positive way, due to the main educational aim of this type of journalism.

Although viewed with scepticism by the medical and scientific community, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is being used by about 50% of Australians. Integrative medicine is a holistic approach to cancer care, with some CAM of proven effectiveness being used as adjuvants to conventional medical treatments. However, there is little evidence of a systematic process of evaluation or dialogue between mainstream cancer medicine and CAM providers in Australia. Collaboration, guidance and support for relevant research in this area are needed. The key elements of a process of furthering integrative medicine include improving knowledge about CAM; addressing uncertainties about CAM efficacy and safety; improving communication about CAM between medical practitioners and patients, and between medical practitioners and CAM practitioners; introducing regulatory frameworks and credentialing of CAM practitioners; and addressing ethical issues.

Objective: As healthcare consumers increasingly use the Internet as a source for health information, direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising online merits additional attention. The purpose of this research was to investigate media coverage of the joint marketing program linking the movie Happy Feet and the nonbranded disease education Web site FluFacts-a resource from Tamiflu flu treatment manufacturer Roche Laboratories Inc. Materials and Methods: Twenty-nine articles (n ¼ 29) were found covering the Happy Feet-FluFacts marketing campaign. A coding guide was developed to assess elements of the articles, including those common in the sample and information that ideally would be included in these articles. Two coders independently coded the articles, achieving intercoder agreement of k ¼ 0.98 before resolving disagreements to arrive at a final dataset. Results: The majority of articles reported that Roche operated FluFacts (51.7%) and mentioned the product Tamiflu (58.6%). Almost half (48.3%) reported FluFacts was an educational resource; yet, no articles mentioned other antiviral medications or nonmedical options for preventing the flu. More than a quarter of the articles (24.1%) provided a call to action-telling readers to visit FluFacts or providing a link for them to do so. Conclusions: Findings suggest that journalists' coverage of this novel campaign-likely one of the goals of the campaign-helped spread the message of the Happy Feet-FluFacts relationship, often omitting other useful health information. Additional research is needed to better understand online DTC campaigns and how consumers react to these campaigns and resulting media coverage and to inform the policymakers' decisions regarding DTC advertising online.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the potential value that direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertisements can provide to social marketers as examples of effective persuasive health communication.

Design/methodology/approach – Modern medicine increasingly incorporates media sources such as DTC prescription drug advertising. While DTC advertising presents concerns, it also offers opportunities for studying effective message design to promote health behavior change. The DTC advertising debate is vigorous, with some critics maintaining advertisements cannot be educational – but the field of social marketing utilizes similar tactics and a consumer-driven marketing perspective to promote preventive health behavior and health behavior change.

Findings – One of the most prominent criticisms of DTC advertising is use of emotional appeals, but a variety of national public health campaigns engage in parallel tactics – employing emotional appeals over “pure” health education. While DTC advertising engenders valid criticism, it is crucial to not let the profit motive behind these campaigns preclude social marketers from learning important lessons from DTC advertisements.

Originality/value – The paper highlights the fact that DTC drug advertising could provide useful lessons to social marketers which some academics may be slow to embrace – the profit motive driving these campaigns may obscure the benefits to be gained from studying DTC drug advertising as a model of effective persuasive health communication. It serves as a reminder that even those who might object to the policy and practice of DTC drug advertising may still learn beneficial lessons from these campaigns.

The objective of the research was to map the discourse about herbal medicine in Australia's primary medical journal, the Medical Journal of Australia, over 4 decades. Manifest content analysis of 148 articles about herbal or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in journal articles from 1966 to 2008 was undertaken. Issues of risk dominated the discourse about herbal medicine in the journal (70%), with a focus on adverse events (42%) as the most significant risk of herbal and other complementary medicines. Toxicity (23%) and drug interactions (18%) were the most frequently mentioned specific risk items. Items that acknowledged efficacy (32%) outweighed those suggesting ineffectiveness (11%). Case reports, reviews, research articles, and letters all had risk frequencies of more than 70%. Review articles and research articles had a high rate of reference to both risk and benefit. Review articles were found to have greater reference to benefit than risk. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed.

Objective: As healthcare consumers increasingly use the Internet as a source for health information, direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising online merits additional attention. The purpose of this research was to investigate media coverage of the joint marketing program linking the movie Happy Feet and the nonbranded disease education Web site FluFacts—a resource from Tamiflu flu treatment manufacturer Roche Laboratories Inc.

Materials and Methods: Twenty-nine articles (n¼29) were found covering the Happy Feet–FluFacts marketing campaign. A coding guide was developed to assess elements of the articles, including those common in the sample and information that ideally would be included in these articles. Two coders independently coded the articles, achieving intercoder agreement of k¼0.98 before resolving disagreements
to arrive at a final dataset.

Results: The majority of articles reported that Roche operated FluFacts (51.7%) and mentioned the product Tamiflu (58.6%). Almost half (48.3%) reported FluFacts was an educational resource; yet, no articles mentioned other antiviral medications or nonmedical options for preventing the flu. More than a quarter of the articles (24.1%) provided a call to action—telling readers to visit FluFacts or providing a link for them to do so.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that journalists’ coverage
of this novel campaign—likely one of the goals of the campaign—helped spread the message of the Happy Feet–FluFacts
relationship, often omitting other useful health information. Additional research is needed to better understand online DTC campaigns and how consumers react to these campaigns and resulting media coverage and to inform.