a Missouri School of Journalism, University of Missouri.
b School of Communication , University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Health Commun. 2019 Apr;34(4):383-391. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2017.1405482. Epub 2017 Nov 28.
Many Native American communities experience severe health inequalities, including shorter average lifespan and higher rates of chronic illnesses. Journalism that serves Native Americans is a promising channel for heath communication, but only if scholars first understand the particular cultural contexts of indigenous communities. This research contributes to that goal by investigating how journalists serving Native American communities characterize health and the issues they identify with covering determinants of health. In in-depth interviews (N = 24), journalists contrasted how they cover health issues as embedded in cultural context with shallow, more negative coverage by non-Native media organizations. Interviews also revealed a tension between "medical" and "cultural" models of health, contributing to the oversaturation of certain issues, like diabetes, while other health topics are underrepresented. The journalists also expressed how social determinants and histories of oppression shape health inequalities, illuminating the roles of historical trauma and the destruction of indigenous health beliefs and behaviors. Failure to recognize these issues could stymie efforts to communicate about health issues facing Native American audiences.
许多美洲原住民社区面临严重的健康不平等问题，包括平均寿命更短和慢性病发病率更高。为美洲原住民服务的新闻业是健康传播的一个有前途的渠道，但前提是学者首先要了解土著社区的特殊文化背景。本研究通过调查服务于美洲原住民社区的记者如何描述健康以及他们确定与健康决定因素相关的报道问题，为实现这一目标做出了贡献。在深入访谈中（N=24），记者们对比了他们如何在文化背景下报道健康问题，以及非原住民媒体机构肤浅、更负面的报道。访谈还揭示了“医学”和“文化”健康模式之间的紧张关系，这导致了某些问题（如糖尿病）的过度饱和，而其他健康话题则被低估。记者们还表达了社会决定因素和压迫历史如何塑造健康不平等，阐明了历史创伤和土著健康信仰和行为的破坏的作用。如果不认识到这些问题，就可能阻碍针对美洲原住民受众的健康问题进行沟通的努力。
