School of Public Health, University of Haifa, Eshkol Tower room 705 Mt, Carmel, 3190501, Haifa, Israel.
Communication Department, University of Haifa, Rabin Complex 8032 Mt, Carmel, 3190501, Haifa, Israel.
Int J Drug Policy. 2022 May;103:103648. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103648. Epub 2022 Mar 7.
There is continued scientific debate regarding the link between risk of COVID-19 infection and increased disease severity and tobacco and cannabis use. The way this topic is presented in news media coverage may influence public attitudes and behavior and is thus an important topic of investigation. This study examines (1) the extent to which Israeli news media reported a positive (i.e., protective/therapeutic), negative (i.e., harmful), or inconclusive association between three types of substance use (tobacco, medical cannabis, recreational cannabis) and risk of COVID-19 infection and/or increased disease severity, and (2) the extent that this media coverage refers to scientific research.
A quantitative content analysis of news articles related to tobacco and cannabis use and COVID-19 (N = 113) from eleven of the highest circulation newspapers in Israel.
News items were significantly more likely to mention increased COVID-19 risk for tobacco use, compared to cannabis use. All medical cannabis news items reported that medical cannabis use was associated with reduced COVID-19 risk. In contrast, news items about recreational cannabis use were more likely to describe a balanced or inconclusive risk for COVID-19, or increased risk. The majority of articles referred to scientific research.
While Israeli news media reported a relatively consistent message about the increased risk of COVID-19 in relation to tobacco use, messages about cannabis use were less consistent in communicating risk information. Research should examine effects of media coverage of tobacco and cannabis use and COVID-19 on public perceptions and behaviors.
关于 COVID-19 感染风险与烟草和大麻使用增加之间的关联，科学界仍存在争议。新闻媒体报道这一主题的方式可能会影响公众的态度和行为，因此是一个重要的调查主题。本研究考察了（1）以色列新闻媒体报道三种物质使用（烟草、医用大麻、娱乐大麻）与 COVID-19 感染风险和/或疾病严重程度增加之间存在正相关（即保护/治疗作用）、负相关（即有害作用）还是无关联的程度，以及（2）媒体报道对科学研究的提及程度。
对来自以色列 11 家发行量最大的报纸的与烟草和大麻使用以及 COVID-19 相关的 113 篇新闻文章进行了定量内容分析。
与大麻使用相比，新闻报道更有可能提到烟草使用会增加 COVID-19 风险。所有关于医用大麻的新闻都报道说，医用大麻的使用与降低 COVID-19 风险有关。相比之下，关于娱乐大麻使用的新闻更有可能描述 COVID-19 的风险平衡或不确定，或者风险增加。大多数文章都提到了科学研究。
虽然以色列新闻媒体就与烟草使用相关的 COVID-19 风险增加报道了一个相对一致的信息，但关于大麻使用的信息在传达风险信息方面则不太一致。研究应检验对烟草和大麻使用以及 COVID-19 的媒体报道对公众认知和行为的影响。
