Melero-Bolaños Rosa, Gutiérrez-Villar Belén, Montero-Simo Maria Jose, Araque-Padilla Rafael A, Olarte-Sánchez Cristian M
Department of Management, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 14004 Córdoba, Spain.
Department of Psychology, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 41704 Sevilla, Spain.
Nutrients. 2025 Mar 8;17(6):951. doi: 10.3390/nu17060951.
The influence of media on the public opinion, especially regarding health topics, is profound. This study investigates how Spanish media may reinforce a positive image of dietary supplements for children, potentially leading to harmful health attitudes and behaviors. The researchers conducted a quantitative content analysis of 912 news articles from Spanish media outlets discussing dietary supplements for children between 2015 and 2021. They used a frequency analysis and a proportion comparison to analyze variables such as the reach of news, tone of news, mentions of health professional consultation, association with natural products, media specialization, intertextuality, and headline mentions. The study found a 60% increase in publications discussing dietary supplements for children during the study period. The content analysis indicates that these articles predominantly present dietary supplements in a positive light, often without robust scientific evidence. Furthermore, many do not emphasize the need for medical consultation, which may contribute to unsupervised consumption, particularly among minors. This highlights the critical importance of professional guidance when considering dietary supplements for children. Additionally, the frequent emphasis on the "natural" attributes of these products raises concerns regarding consumer perceptions and potential safety risks. The study reveals a problem regarding the portrayal of dietary supplements for children in Spanish media. The overly optimistic image, lack of scientific basis, and failure to recommend medical supervision may contribute to unsupervised consumption among minors, risking their health due to misinformed decisions influenced by media portrayal.
媒体对公众舆论的影响深远，尤其是在健康话题方面。本研究调查了西班牙媒体如何可能强化儿童膳食补充剂的正面形象，这可能导致有害的健康态度和行为。研究人员对2015年至2021年间西班牙媒体讨论儿童膳食补充剂的912篇新闻文章进行了定量内容分析。他们使用频率分析和比例比较来分析诸如新闻覆盖范围、新闻基调、对健康专业人士咨询的提及、与天然产品的关联、媒体专业化、互文性以及标题提及等变量。研究发现，在研究期间，讨论儿童膳食补充剂的出版物增加了60%。内容分析表明，这些文章大多以正面的方式呈现膳食补充剂，通常没有确凿的科学证据。此外，许多文章没有强调医疗咨询的必要性，这可能导致无监督的消费，尤其是在未成年人中。这凸显了在考虑儿童膳食补充剂时专业指导的至关重要性。此外，对这些产品“天然”属性的频繁强调引发了对消费者认知和潜在安全风险的担忧。该研究揭示了西班牙媒体对儿童膳食补充剂的描述存在问题。过于乐观的形象、缺乏科学依据以及未建议医疗监督可能导致未成年人无监督消费，由于受媒体描述影响做出错误决策而危及他们的健康。
