Wonder vitamin or mass medication? Media and academic representation of folate fortification as a policy problem in Australia and New Zealand

Begley, Andrea; Coveney, John

doi:10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00591.x

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…We know the media is a powerful, persuasive source of health information. 51 52 Given our findings that the popular press has been consistently endorsing supplementation, it seems reasonable to conclude the popular press is, at least in part, helping to fuel the demand for vitamin D supplements and to the confusion about its value. This framing of vitamin D supplementation may be interacting with salient ideas about the need to take responsibility for one's health, which is often demonstrated through consumer behaviour and other health-related decisions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Representations of the health value of vitamin D supplementation in newspapers: media content analysis

et al. 2014

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ObjectiveTo examine the nature of media coverage of vitamin D in relation to its role in health and the need for supplements.DesignMedia content analysis.SettingPrint articles from elite newspapers in the UK, the USA and Canada.Participants294 print newspaper articles appearing over 5 years (2009–2014).ResultsNewspaper coverage of vitamin D generally supported supplementation. The most common framing of vitamin D in print articles was “adequate vitamin D is necessary for good health.” Articles also framed vitamin D as difficult to obtain from food supply and framed vitamin D deficiency as a widespread concern. In discussions of supplementation, 80% articles suggested supplementation is or may be necessary for the general population, yet almost none of the articles discussed the potential harms of vitamin D supplementation in any detail.Print articles named 40 different health conditions in relationship to vitamin D. The most commonly cited conditions included bone health, cancer and cardiovascular health. Although print articles referred to a wide range of scholarly research on vitamin D with varying degrees of endorsement for supplementation, a general tone of support for vitamin D supplementation in media coverage persisted.ConclusionsNewspaper articles conveyed overall support for vitamin D supplementation. News articles linked vitamin D to a wide range of health conditions for which there is no conclusive scientific evidence. Media coverage downplayed the limitations of existing science and overlooked any potential risks associated with supplementation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Representations of the health value of vitamin D supplementation in newspapers: media content analysis

et al. 2014

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“…This also allows us to imagine different representations with different consequences. Bacchi's approach has been used in a number of analyses that have examined discourses as particular forms of power in health and social policy and practice (see, for example, Begley and Coveney , Dwyer et al . , Widding ).…”

Section: Infant Mental Health Promotion: An Analytics Of Governmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infant mental health promotion and the discourse of risk

Lawless

Coveney

MacDougall

2013

Sociology Health & Illness

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The field of infant mental health promotion has rapidly developed in academia, health policy and practice. Although there are roots in earlier childhood health and welfare movements, recent developments in infant mental health promotion are distinct and different. This article examines the development and practice of infant mental health promotion in South Australia. A regional, intersectoral forum with a focus on families and young children was used as a case study. In-depth interviews with forum members were analysed using a governmentality lens. Participants identified a range of risks to the healthy development of the infant. The study suggests that the construction of risk acts as a technique of governing, providing the rationale for intervention for the child, the mother and the public's good. It places responsibility on parents to self-govern. Although the influence of broader social contexts is acknowledged, the problematisation of mothering as risk shifts the focus to individual capacity, rather than encompassing the systems and social conditions that support healthy relationships. This research suggests that the representations of risk are a pervasive and potent influence that can act to undermine health promotion efforts that seek to empower and enable people to have more control over their own health.

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“…31 Framework Carol Bacchi's framework of questions was used to analyse participants' responses in relation to the problem representation. 35,36 This framework of questions has been used before in public health, 37 but not to consider smoking and mental illness. The questions assist with the process of examining belief systems behind policies and problems, or 'What's the problem represented to be?'.…”

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two heads are better than one: Australian tobacco control experts’ and mental health change champions’ consensus on addressing the problem of high smoking rates among people with mental illness

Rowley

Lawn

Coveney

2016

Aust. Health Review

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Objective. The aims of the present study were to explore the beliefs of Australian experts in tobacco control and change champions working in mental health and tobacco cessation, and to identify measures for addressing the problem of high smoking rates for people with mental illness.Methods. Qualitative interviews were undertaken to explore participants' views, and the Delphi technique was used to achieve consensus on ways in which the problem would be best addressed.

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Wonder vitamin or mass medication? Media and academic representation of folate fortification as a policy problem in Australia and New Zealand

Cited by 10 publications

References 33 publications

Representations of the health value of vitamin D supplementation in newspapers: media content analysis

Representations of the health value of vitamin D supplementation in newspapers: media content analysis

Infant mental health promotion and the discourse of risk

Two heads are better than one: Australian tobacco control experts’ and mental health change champions’ consensus on addressing the problem of high smoking rates among people with mental illness

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