Women's perceptions of heart disease and breast cancer and the association with media representations of the diseases

Abstract

Background This research examined differences in perceptions of heart disease compared with breast cancer and if the differences are reflected in media presentations of the diseases. Relationships of differences in perceptions to demographic groups, heart disease risk factors and health behaviors were examined.Methods Study 1 was a quantitative content analysis of articles and advertisements related to heart disease or breast cancer.Results There were greater perceptions of susceptibility, preventability and controllability of heart disease and lower perceptions regarding seriousness, fearfulness and extent to which family history determines disease development of heart disease compared with breast cancer. Five times more pieces related to breast cancer were found compared with heart disease. Study 2 was a survey of 1524 women. More articles and advertisements about breast cancer than heart disease were found, and survey participants reported seeing significantly more breast cancer than heart disease media. Younger women had greater perceived susceptibility of breast cancer relative to heart disease while the content analysis revealed that the heart disease pieces were more likely to feature women older than 40 years of age.Conclusions This research is an important step in the development of theories regarding causal effects of media on health perceptions and behaviors.

Social media for health promotion: What messages are women receiving about cardiovascular disease risk by the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation?

“…The minimizing of the benefits of risk reduction in this narrative on Facebook which erased opportunity for personal agency in health promotion is similar to findings on the (re)presentation of women’s CVD in print media such as women’s magazines (Gonsalves et al, 2016) and on previously analysed Canadian HSF CVD awareness promotion materials (Clark et al, 2018). Media framing of women’s health messages without the simultaneous provision of recommended preventive behaviours has been linked with avoidance of preventive action (Berry et al, 2016; Higgins et al, 2006). Two storylines with particular roles and identities for social agents involved with Canadian women’s CVD emerged within this overarching theme which will now be discussed.…”

“…magazines and websites) and electronic media associated with a national women’s cardiovascular health campaign (i.e. Canadian The Heart Truth campaign) (Berry et al, 2016; Clark et al, 2018; Clarke, 2010; Higgins et al, 2006). For women at risk for CVD, the media has been shown to reinforce fearful dependence on experts for CVD prevention, and agents holding social and political power were positioned as ultimately accountable for women’s cardiovascular health (Clark et al, 2018; Gonsalves et al, 2017).…”

30+ years of media analysis of relevance to chronic disease: a scoping review

“…Nineteen studies compared the amount of news coverage received by different health topics (e.g. [68,[76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86]) and/or whether the amount of news coverage received was proportionate to the burden of the problem (e.g. [79,[87][88][89][90][91][92]).…”

“…gain-versus loss-framing) on healthrelated attitudes and behaviours such as seeking smoking cessation support [280], visiting the dentist [281], healthy snack choice [282], and chronic disease risk perception [283]. Eleven studies used focus groups, interviews and/or surveys to explore public perceptions of social marketing strategies (e.g., awareness, recall, liking, and perceived effectiveness of health promotion campaigns) [76,[284][285][286].…”

Social Network, Surgeon, and Media Influence on the Decision to Undergo Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy

“… 17 , 20 Women with breast cancer also utilize traditional mass media, the Internet, and social media, where they have a high likelihood of encountering information about breast cancer, ranging from science news reports to stories about celebrities with breast cancer. 21 – 24 …”