Canales Mary K, Breslau Erica S, Nelson David E, Ballard-Barbash Rachel R
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Cancer Education Grants Department, Bemidji, Minnesota, USA.
Am J Prev Med. 2008 Jan;34(1):61-8. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2007.09.023.
The news media play a critical role in communicating health information to the public. The unexpected findings in July 2002 about increased health risks associated with hormone therapy provided an opportunity to examine the process of translating scientific findings to reporters through communication intermediaries and appraise subsequent reporting in newspapers in the United States.
Using qualitative research software, a qualitative analysis was conducted in 2006 to consider four types of messages: (1) hormone therapy health risks outweighed benefits (balance); (2) adverse hormone therapy health outcomes (health risk); (3) positive hormone therapy health outcomes (benefit); and (4) risk level (magnitude). The print materials analyzed included the original 2002 Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) article and editorial; JAMA and National Institutes of Health (NIH) press releases; the NIH press conference transcript; and 198 articles about hormone therapy in 22 U.S. newspapers published from July to September 2002.
The major study finding that hormone therapy risks outweighed benefits was reported consistently and accurately. Analyses of language and numbers on risk magnitude, and its interpretation revealed some variability, both within the translation materials and news stories. When risk numbers were included in newspaper stories, absolute risk was used more often than relative risk.
Despite much criticism of journalists' coverage of health issues, U.S. newspaper reporting about hormone therapy in 2002 was generally consistent. Several translational and communication strategies used with hormone therapy may be applicable to other efforts that involve working with reporters on major health stories or events. An important process oversight was the absence of hormone therapy communication efforts and guidance directed specifically to medical practitioners.
新闻媒体在向公众传播健康信息方面发挥着关键作用。2002年7月关于激素疗法相关健康风险增加的意外发现，为研究通过传播中介将科学发现转化给记者的过程以及评估美国报纸随后的报道提供了契机。
2006年使用定性研究软件进行了定性分析，以考量四种类型的信息：（1）激素疗法的健康风险超过益处（平衡）；（2）激素疗法的不良健康后果（健康风险）；（3）激素疗法的积极健康后果（益处）；以及（4）风险水平（程度）。所分析的印刷材料包括2002年《美国医学会杂志》（JAMA）的原始文章和社论；JAMA和美国国立卫生研究院（NIH）的新闻稿；NIH新闻发布会的文字记录；以及2002年7月至9月在美国22家报纸上发表的198篇关于激素疗法的文章。
关于激素疗法风险超过益处这一主要研究发现得到了一致且准确的报道。对风险程度的语言和数字分析及其解读显示，在翻译材料和新闻报道中均存在一些差异。当报纸报道中包含风险数字时，使用绝对风险的情况比相对风险更为常见。
尽管对记者对健康问题的报道有诸多批评，但2002年美国报纸对激素疗法的报道总体上是一致的。与激素疗法相关的几种翻译和传播策略可能适用于其他涉及与记者合作报道重大健康事件的工作。一个重要的过程疏忽是缺乏专门针对医学从业者的激素疗法沟通工作和指导。
