Women's Magazine Coverage of Heart Disease Risk Factors: Good Housekeeping Magazine, 1997 to 2007

Abstract

Women, who often turn to magazines for health information, continue to underestimate their risk for heart disease, though it remains the leading cause of death among women in the United States. This textual analysis considered the portrayal of women's risk factors for heart disease as problem and remedy frames within articles published by the highest circulation women's magazine in the U.S., Good Housekeeping, from 1997 to 2007. These findings were then compared with corresponding information endorsed by the American Heart Association. Far from underestimating a woman's risk for heart disease, GH articles seemed to target women at low risk for heart disease, while emphasizing risk factors unique to women. The magazine coverage was largely consistent with American Heart Association information, yet offered a broader range of treatment and prevention strategies that were sometimes contradictory or vague. One significant risk factor, race, was not mentioned in the magazine articles. This review calls for future research to determine the pervasiveness and possible effects of such coverage.

A Content Analysis of Cognitive Health Promotion in Popular Magazines

“…For example, a study by Ankem (2007) showed that women with uterine fibroids used popular women's magazines, sometimes in combination with other media, to learn about their condition and to educate themselves about treatment options. A number of researchers have analyzed health information in popular magazines, including information about cancer (Friedman & Hoffman-Goetz, 2003a;Katz, Sheridan, Pignone, Lewis, Battle, Gollop, et al, 2004;Slater, Long, Bettinghaus, & Reineke, 2008;Tobler, Wilson, & Napolitano, 2009) and cardiovascular disease (Edy, 2010;Turner, Vader, & Walters, 2008). These studies examined the frequency, scope, and reliability of content, finding:…”

“…1. popular magazine articles often lack comprehensive and reliable content and contact information that may be needed to make an informed health decision (Edy, 2010;Friedman, Laditka, Laditka, & Mathews, 2010;Katz et al, 2004;Turner et al, 2008); and 2. magazine coverage of health issues does not always reflect disease prevalence or mortality rates (Slater et al, 2008;Tobler et al, 2009;Turner et al, 2008).…”

Dietary advice for improving cardiovascular health in UK running magazines

“…Another clearly defined literature has examined magazines’ coverage of cardiovascular disease. A study of heart disease coverage in mass print media magazines in Canada (Edy, 2010) noted the tendency for content to assert facts with confidence, despite contradictory evidence in opposition to the aforementioned guidelines for science communication (Fineberg and Rowe, 1998). Another study evaluated coverage of nutrition advice for cardiovascular health in North American magazines targeting young women (Turner et al , 2008).…”