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A Content Analysis of News Coverage of Skin Cancer Prevention and Detection, 1979 to 2003
Jo Ellen Stryker, PhD;
Benjamin A. Solky, MD;
Karen M. Emmons, PhD
Arch Dermatol. 2005;141:491-496.
Objective To analyze newspaper coverage between 1979 and 2003 to understand how print coverage may affect primary and secondary skin cancer prevention in the US population.
Design Content analysis of 921 skin cancer articles released by the Associated Press during the study period.
Main Outcome Measures Amount of attention given to primary and secondary prevention practices and to risk communication.
Results Media attention to skin cancer has not increased since 1986. Neither prevention (31.8% of all stories) nor detection (24.4% of all stories) received as much attention as treatment (47.0% of all stories). Specific sun protection practices were mentioned infrequently. Dermatologic detection (6.6%) or self-detection (5.5%) of skin cancer was rarely discussed. Risk communication about skin cancer was suboptimal: articles rarely presented absolute and relative risk.
Conclusions The media pay little attention to skin cancer, and, in general, stories do not contain important educational information. Strategies for generating increased media attention are discussed.
Author Affiliations: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard School of Public Health (Drs Stryker and Emmons) and Department of Dermatology, Harvard University School of Medicine (Dr Solky), Boston, Mass. Dr Stryker is now with the Department of Speech Communication, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr Solky is now with the Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
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