North American Magazine Coverage of Skin Cancer an

Authors: Jennifer E McWhirter Laurie HoffmanGoetz

Publish Date: 2014/09/06

Volume: 30, Issue: 3, Pages: 477-481

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Abstract

The mass media is an influential source of skin cancer information for the public In 2009 the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified UV radiation from tanning devices as carcinogenic Our objective was to determine if media coverage of skin cancer and recreational tanning increased in volume or changed in nature after this classification We conducted a directed content analysis on 29 North American popular magazines 2007–2012 to investigate the overall volume of articles on skin cancer and recreational tanning and more specifically the presence of skin cancer risk factors UV behaviors and early detection information in article text n = 410 and images n = 714 The volume of coverage on skin cancer and recreational tanning did not increase significantly after the 2009 classification of tanning beds as carcinogenic Keyrelated messages including that UV exposure is a risk factor for skin cancer and that indoor tanning should be avoided were not reported more frequently after the classification but the promotion of the tanned look as attractive was conveyed more often in images afterwards p  01 Content promoting highSPF sunscreen use increased after the classification p  01 but there were no significant positive changes in the frequency of coverage of skin cancer risk factors other UV behaviors or early detection information over time The classification of indoor tanning beds as carcinogenic had no significant impact on the volume or nature of skin cancer and recreational tanning coverage in magazinesThis work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research JEMcW and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada LHG The authors thank T Harms at the University of Waterloo Porter Library for help with coordinating data collection

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