The making of health:: a reflection on the first 10 years in the life of a journal

Abstract

This introduction to the Tenth Anniversary Issue surveys articles that have been published in health: since its launch. Reviewing the original aims of the journal, the editors discuss some of the main issues that authors have raised, both about health and illness. Focusing upon articles that have been published in this particular journal, we discuss the way that new medical technologies -particularly global ones -have shaped ideas about disease and its treatment, and in consequence about what 'good health' should be. Related to the growth in medical and other technology -not least the rise of the Internet during the life of this journal -is the number of articles that discuss the rights of patients and the establishment of what might be termed an 'illness culture'. We conclude that there continues to be more to health than it being the background to illness or disease, and ask the question: should the 'taken for grantedness' of health be taken for granted any longer?

How the Internet is changing the experience of bereavement by suicide: A qualitative study in the UK

“…Today the Internet offers people access to tailored information, which a recent report from Pew Internet (Fox and Jones, 2009: 7) describes as 'a means to accelerate the pace of discovery, widen social networks, and sharpen the questions someone might ask when they do get to talk to a health professional'. Twelve years ago people rarely used the Internet to explore health issues (Radley et al, 2006), but now people use health-related websites to interpret symptoms, seek a second opinion, find practical help, identify questions for doctors, seek information about treatments and share experiences (Ziebland et al, 2004) The Internet is heavily used for health matters by people with cancer, a chronic illness or a stigmatized condition (Ayers and Kronenfeld, 2007;Berger et al, 2005).…”

A saúde em notícia entre 2008 e 2010: retratos do que a imprensa portuguesa mostrou

“…No caso concreto do jornalismo da saúde, grande parte dos cidadãos encontra nos média o seu principal meio de informação e de participação na "grande aventura do conhecimento" (Moreno Espinosa, 2010). As notícias de saúde têm um papel importantíssimo na prevenção, na detecção, nos diagnósticos das doenças (Kreps, 2003) e na adopção de estilos de vida saudável (Radley et al, 2006). Há muito que este campo deixou de se circunscrever ao binómio saúde/ doença, cabendo agora aqui temas diversos.…”

Transplantes em notícia: um jornalismo delineado em factos declinados por fontes oficiais

“…Nessa linha, Kreps (2003) reconhece o papel importante das notícias de saúde na prevenção, detecção e diagnósticos das doenças. Já Alan Radley et al (2006) acrescentam o seu papel na adoção de estilos de vida saudável. A esse respeito, Felisbela Lopes et al (2012, p. 132) acrescentam que toda a comunicação desenvolvida no sector da saúde (...) tem a grande responsabilidade de, primeiro, determinar quais são os conteúdos informativos adequados às situações e aos públicos-alvo e, depois, preparar essas mensagens de modo a promover, efetivamente, a saúde e prevenir a doença.…”