McWhirter Jennifer E, Hoffman-Goetz Laurie
School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
J Cancer Educ. 2016 Jun;31(2):382-8. doi: 10.1007/s13187-015-0808-1.
Mass media is an influential source of skin cancer and tanning information for the public, but we know little about its content or emphasis. The objective of this research was to describe the volume and nature of skin cancer and tanning messages in 20 popular U.S. men's and women's magazines (2000-2012). We used a directed content analysis to determine frequency information about risk factors and ultraviolet (UV) behaviors in 608 articles and 930 images. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests determined coverage differences based on content type (text vs. image) and target audience (women vs. men). UV exposure was the most common risk factor mentioned (37.7 %) and sunscreen use the most common behavior encouraged (60.0 %); information about other risk factors and protective behaviors was uncommon. Both articles (25.2 %) and images (36.9 %) promoted the tanned look as attractive. In most cases, images infrequently contained helpful information on skin cancer risk factors and prevention, except for high-SPF sunscreens. Women's magazines published more articles on skin cancer and tanning than men's magazines (456 vs. 159, χ(2) = 143.43, P < .01), and the nature of the messages differed between them. Magazine skin cancer and tanning content may contribute to inaccurate public understanding of risks and prevention. These findings are relevant to cancer educators, who may wish to counter potentially harmful messages and enhance positive ones through cancer education efforts.
大众媒体是公众获取皮肤癌和晒黑信息的一个有影响力的来源，但我们对其内容或侧重点知之甚少。本研究的目的是描述20种美国流行的男性和女性杂志（2000 - 2012年）中皮肤癌和晒黑信息的数量及性质。我们采用定向内容分析法来确定608篇文章和930张图片中有关风险因素和紫外线（UV）行为的频率信息。卡方检验和费舍尔精确检验确定了基于内容类型（文本与图片）和目标受众（女性与男性）的报道差异。紫外线暴露是提及最多的常见风险因素（37.7%），使用防晒霜是最常被鼓励的行为（60.0%）；关于其他风险因素和保护行为的信息并不常见。文章（25.2%）和图片（36.9%）都将晒黑的外观宣传为有吸引力的。在大多数情况下，图片很少包含有关皮肤癌风险因素和预防的有用信息，高防晒系数的防晒霜除外。女性杂志发表的关于皮肤癌和晒黑的文章比男性杂志多（456篇对159篇，χ(2) = 143.43，P < 0.01），且两者信息的性质有所不同。杂志中关于皮肤癌和晒黑的内容可能会导致公众对风险和预防的理解不准确。这些发现与癌症教育工作者相关，他们可能希望通过癌症教育努力来反驳潜在有害信息并强化积极信息。
