Public Estimates of Cancer Frequency: Cancer Incidence Perceptions Mirror Distorted Media Depictions

Jensen, Jakob D.; Scherr, Courtney L.; Brown, Natasha; Jones, C.; Christy, Katheryn R.; Hurley, Ryan J.

doi:10.1080/10810730.2013.837551

Cited by 30 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…60 Distortion of patients' perceptions that is induced by news coverage regarding the frequency and severity of the disease has been observed in patients with many types of tumors. 61 As detection of well-differentiated thyroid cancer in the population increases, awareness also rises. This awareness forces further investigation, which snowballs the rates of detection further.…”

Section: Patients' Beliefsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been suggested that a vicious circle exists between the information that patients receive from the media or community and the discovery of subclinical disease . Distortion of patients' perceptions that is induced by news coverage regarding the frequency and severity of the disease has been observed in patients with many types of tumors . As detection of well‐differentiated thyroid cancer in the population increases, awareness also rises.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Growing incidence of thyroid carcinoma in recent years: Factors underlying overdiagnosis

et al. 2017

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There is an increasing incidence of well-differentiated thyroid cancer worldwide. Much of the increase is secondary to increased detection of small, low-risk tumors, with questionable clinical significance. This review addresses the factors that contribute to the increasing incidence and considers environmental, and patient-based and clinician-led influences. Articles addressing the causes of the increased incidence were critically reviewed. A complex interplay of environmental, medical, and social pressures has resulted in increased awareness of the thyroid disease risk, increased screening of thyroid cancers, and increased diagnosis of thyroid cancers. Although there is evidence to suggest that the true disease incidence may be changing slightly, most of the increase is related to factors that promote early diagnosis of low-risk lesions, which is resulting in a significant phenomenon of overdiagnosis. An improved understanding of these pressures at a global level will enable healthcare policymakers to react appropriately to this challenge in the future.

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Section: Patients' Beliefsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growing incidence of thyroid carcinoma in recent years: Factors underlying overdiagnosis

et al. 2017

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“…Additionally, PPEH-related topics have received very limited attention. To address these gaps, we adopt an approach used in cancer communication studies (i.e., Jensen et al, 2014; Stryker, Moriarty, & Jensen, 2008) combining content analysis data from what are sometimes called ‘information-oriented media sources’ (e.g., news stories, magazines, the Internet; Dutta-Bergman, 2004) with a survey of the target population: new and expectant mothers.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Who’s Responsible? Media Framing of Pediatric Environmental Health and Mothers’ Perceptions of Accountability

Mello

Tan

2016

Journal of Health Communication

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How the media frames issues of environmental health may affect mothers’ views of who is responsible for addressing environmental risks to pediatric health, and ultimately, their protective behaviors. This article describes how information-oriented media sources attribute responsibility for such risks and examines associations between mothers’ routine media exposure, or scanning, and perceptions of responsibility. First, a content analysis was conducted with a sample of 474 media stories (i.e., Associated Press (AP), parenting magazines and websites) about childhood exposures to environmental chemicals over a 6-month period (September 2012 – February 2013). We found that media stories attributed responsibility most frequently to parents, though significant differences were observed across media sources such that websites focused more on parents and general news more on government agencies and manufacturers. Next, we conducted an online survey of mothers (n = 819) and revealed website scanning during the prior 6 months was significantly associated with perceived personal responsibility, even after adjusting for potential confounders. Scanning general news was also significantly associated with perceived government and manufacturer responsibility. Understanding media framing of these issues highlights opportunities for health communicators to offset pressure placed on mothers by encouraging greater social and policy support in and exposure to certain media.

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“…Previous analyses have observed that the distribution of news stories by cancer anatomical site mirrors incidence rates more closely than mortality rates but that certain cancer types were overor under-represented. These distortions, potentially driven by personalisation bias (e.g., celebrity profiles) were also reflected in risk perception and discrepancies in funding for cancer research [13][14][15]. Others have also documented variation in quality, topic coverage and style of cancer research reporting in print media [16][17][18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cancer In The News: Bias And Quality In Media Reporting Of Cancer Research

Amberg

Saunders

2018

Preprint

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Cancer research in the news is often associated with sensationalising and inaccurate reporting, giving rise to false hopes and expectations. The role of study selection for cancer-related news stories is an important but less commonly acknowledged issue, as the outcomes of primary research are generally less reliable than those of meta-analyses and systematic reviews. Few studies have investigated the quality of research that makes the news and no previous analyses of the proportions of primary and secondary research in the news have been found in the literature.The main aim of this study was to investigate the nature and quality of cancer research covered in online news reports by four major news sources from USA, UK and Australia. We measured significant variation in reporting quality, and observed biases in many aspects of cancer research reporting, including the types of study selected for coverage, and in the spectrum of cancer types, gender of scientists, and geographical source of research represented. We discuss the implications of these finding for guiding accurate, contextual reporting of cancer research, which is critical in helping the public understand complex science and appreciate the outcomes of publicly funded research, avoid undermining trust in science, and assist informed decision-making.

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Public Estimates of Cancer Frequency: Cancer Incidence Perceptions Mirror Distorted Media Depictions

Cited by 30 publications

References 51 publications

Growing incidence of thyroid carcinoma in recent years: Factors underlying overdiagnosis

Growing incidence of thyroid carcinoma in recent years: Factors underlying overdiagnosis

Who’s Responsible? Media Framing of Pediatric Environmental Health and Mothers’ Perceptions of Accountability

Cancer In The News: Bias And Quality In Media Reporting Of Cancer Research

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