THE ROLE OF PRINT MEDIA IN SHAPING PUBLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW

Authors

  • Fahmina Hussain Research Scholer, Department of Journalism and Mass communication, Magalayatan University, Aligarh
  • Dr. Santosh Kumar Gautam Associate professor, department of Journalism and Mass communication, Magalayatan University, Aligarh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i7.2024.3976

Keywords:

Health-Related Content, Print Media, Public Health Outcome, Health Communication

Abstract [English]

This theoretical study investigates how health-related material in print media affects public health by synthesising current data to grasp its influence in determining public health results. Even with the digital revolution, print media—including newspapers, periodicals, and pamphlets—remains a major source of information. Key topics include the spread of health information, the way health concerns are framed, and the impact on public perspective and behaviour are underlined in the review. Research show that print media may influence health policy debate, increase knowledge of health concerns, and encourage good practices. Still, these results are much influenced by the accuracy, bias, and depth of the material. Print media's health-related material reflects more general social, economic, and political settings, therefore impacting its presentation and reception. Moreover, the different degrees of media literacy among the people help to control the influence of such material. The evaluation also covers ethical obligations of print media in health communication as well as the possibility of false information. This study offers a complete framework for comprehending the intricate interaction between print media and public health by combining theoretical viewpoints from psychology, public health, and communication studies. The results underline the importance of planned, evidence-based health communication in print media to improve its favourable influence on public health outcomes.

References

Dhanashree, Garg H, Chauhan A, Bhatia M, Sethi G, Chauhan G: Role of mass media and it’s impact on general public during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in North India: an online assessment. Indian J Med Sci. 2021, 73:21-5. 10.25259/IJMS_312_2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.25259/IJMS_312_2020

Ashorkhani M, Gholami J, Maleki K, Nedjat S, Mortazavi J, Majdzadeh R: Quality of health news disseminated in the print media in developing countries: a case study in Iran. BMC Public Health. 2012, 12:627. 10.1186/1471-2458-12-627 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-627

Merritt R, Eida T, Safon C, Kendall S: Print media coverage of breastfeeding in Great Britain: positive or negative?. Matern Child Nutr. 2023, 19 Suppl 1:e13458. 10.1111/mcn.13458 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13458

Giguère A, Légaré F, Grimshaw J, et al.: Printed educational materials: effects on professional practice and healthcare outcomes. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012, 10:4398. 10.1002/14651858.CD004398.pub3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004398.pub3

Kersbergen I, Buykx P, Brennan A, Brown J, Michie S, Holmes J: Print and online textual news media coverage of UK low-risk drinking guidelines from 2014 to 2017: a review and thematic analysis. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2022, 41:1161-73. 10.1111/dar.13458 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13458

Marks JT, Campbell MK, Ward DS, Ribisl KM, Wildemuth BM, Symons MJ: A comparison of web and print media for physical activity promotion among adolescent girls. J Adolesc Health. 2006, 39:96-104. 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.11.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.11.002

Leask J, Hooker C, King C: Media coverage of health issues and how to work more effectively with journalists: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health. 2010, 10:535. 10.1186/1471-2458-10-535 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-10-535

Snyman M: Using the printed medium to disseminate information about psychiatric disorders: original article. Afr J Psychiatry. 2004, 7:15-20. 10.4314/ajpsy.v7i4.30174 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/ajpsy.v7i4.30174

Redmond N, Baer HJ, Clark CR, Lipsitz S, Hicks LS: Sources of health information related to preventive health behaviors in a national study. Am J Prev Med. 2010, 38:620-27. 10.1016/j.amepre.2010.03.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2010.03.001

El-Jardali F, Bou Karroum L, Bawab L, Kdouh O, El-Sayed F, Rachidi H, Makki M: Health reporting in print media in Lebanon: evidence, quality, and role in informing policymaking. PLoS One. 2015, 10:e0136435. 10.1371/journal.pone.0136435 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0136435

Ntlotlang T, Grand B: The role of libraries in the dissemination of health information in Botswana: a study of Mochudi and Molepolole public libraries. Libr Rev. 2016, 65:320-49. 10.1108/LR-05-2015-0051 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/LR-05-2015-0051

Nagler RH, Bigman CA, Ramanadhan S, Ramamurthi D, Viswanath K: Prevalence and framing of health disparities in local print news: implications for multilevel interventions to address cancer inequalities. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2016, 25:603-12. 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-15-1247 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-15-1247

Shakeel S, Nesar S, Rahim N, Iffat W, Ahmed HF, Rizvi M, Jamshed S: Utilization and impact of electronic and print media on the patients' health status: physicians' perspectives. J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2017, 9:266- 71. 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_327_16 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/JPBS.JPBS_327_16

Kim J, Jung M: Associations between media use and health information-seeking behavior on vaccinations in South Korea. BMC Public Health. 2017, 17:700. 10.1186/s12889-017-4721-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4721-x

Peacock M, Badea M, Bruno F, et al.: Herbal supplements in the print media: communicating benefits and risks. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019, 19:196. 10.1186/s12906-019-2602-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-019-2602-9

Campbell IH, Rudan I: Helping global health topics go viral online . J Glob Health. 2020, 8:10101. 10.7189/jogh.10.010101 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.10.010101

Ramondt S, Ramírez AS: Media reporting on air pollution: health risk and precautionary measures in national and regional newspapers. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020, 17:6516. 10.3390/ijerph17186516 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186516

John EA, Kapilashrami A: Victims, villains and the rare hero: analysis of migrant and refugee health portrayals in the Indian print media. Indian J Med Ethics. 2021, VI:1-24. 10.20529/IJME.2020.131 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20529/IJME.2020.131

He R, Li Y: Cancer beliefs, and cancer-related information-seeking or avoidance behavior patterns in China . Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021, 18:3130. 10.3390/ijerph18063130 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063130

Fatimah JM, Arianto, Bahfiarti T: Media communication and youth reproductive health, North Toraja District. Gac Sanit. 2021, 35 Suppl 2:S112-5. 10.1016/j.gaceta.2021.07.007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaceta.2021.07.007

Nesi J: The impact of social media on youth mental health: challenges and opportunities . N C Med J. 2020, 81:116-21. 10.18043/ncm.81.2.116 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18043/ncm.81.2.116

Ittefaq M, Seo H, Abwao M, Baines A: Social media use for health, cultural characteristics, and demographics: a survey of Pakistani millennials. Digit Health. 2022, 8:8. 10.1177/20552076221089454 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076221089454

M A S, Pande N, P K SK: Role of effective crisis communication by the government in managing the first wave Covid-19 pandemic - a study of Kerala government's success. J Public Aff. 2021, 21:e2721. 10.1002/pa.2721 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2721

Parker PD, Prabhu AV, Su LJ, Zorn KK, Greene CJ, Hadden KB, McSweeney JC: What’s in between the lines: assessing the readability, understandability, and actionability in breast cancer survivorship print materials. J Cancer Educ. 2022, 37:1532-9. 10.1007/s13187-021-02003-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-021-02003-4

Manjunatha SN, Venkatesh Darshan AN, Sajja J: A content analysis: health-related advertisements in print media. Indian J Community Med. 2019, 44:169-70. 10.4103/ijcm.IJCM_271_18 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/ijcm.IJCM_271_18

Wakefield MA, Loken B, Hornik RC: Use of mass media campaigns to change health behaviour . Lancet. 2010, 376:1261-71. 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60809-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60809-4

Cutilli CC, Simko LC, Colbert AM, Bennett IM: Health literacy, health disparities, and sources of health information in U.S. older adults. Orthop Nurs. 2018, 37:54-65. 10.1097/NOR.0000000000000418 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/NOR.0000000000000418

Wilson EA, Makoul G, Bojarski EA, et al.: Comparative analysis of print and multimedia health materials: a review of the literature. Patient Educ Couns. 2012, 89:7-14. 10.1016/j.pec.2012.06.007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2012.06.007

Mheidly N, Fares J: Leveraging media and health communication strategies to overcome the COVID-19 infodemic. J Public Health Policy. 2020, 41:410-20. 10.1057/s41271-020-00247-w DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-020-00247-w

Gill K, Mao A, Powell AM, Sheidow T: Digital reader vs print media: the role of digital technology in reading accuracy in age-related macular degeneration. Eye (Lond). 2013, 27:639-43. 10.1038/eye.2013.14 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.2013.14

Jerónimo P, Correia JC, Gradim A: Are we close enough? Digital challenges to local journalists . Journal Pract. 2022, 16:813-27. 10.1080/17512786.2020.1818607 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2020.1818607

Kanchan S, Gaidhane A. Print Media Role and Its Impact on Public Health: A Narrative Review. Cureus. 2024 May 3;16(5):e59574. doi: 10.7759/cureus.59574. PMID: 38832199; PMCID: PMC11144588. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.59574

Entwistle, V., & Hancock-Beaulieu, M. (1992). Health and medical coverage in the UK national press. Public Understanding of Science, 1(4), 367-382. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/0963-6625/1/4/002

Grilli, R., Ramsay, C., & Minozzi, S. (2002). Mass media interventions: effects on health services utilisation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD000389

Hinnant, A., & Len-Ríos, M. E. (2009). Health journalists' perceptions of their communities and implications for health news. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 86(4), 876-893. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/107769900908600204

Jensen, J. D. (2008). Scientific uncertainty in news coverage of cancer research: Effects of hedging on scientists' and journalists' credibility. Human Communication Research, 34(3), 347-369. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2008.00324.x

Potter, W. J. (2004). Theory of Media Literacy: A Cognitive Approach. Sage Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483328881

Viswanath, K., & Emmons, K. M. (2006). Message effects and social determinants of health: Its application to cancer disparities. Journal of Communication, 56(s1), S238-S264. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2006.00292.x

Viswanath, K., & Finnegan, J. R. (2002). The knowledge gap hypothesis: Twenty-five years later. In B. D. Ruben & L. A. Lievrouw (Eds.), Communication Yearbook 19 (pp. 187-227). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.1996.11678931

Gautam, S.K., Zabi, S., & Kaur, A. (2023). The Role of Television in Health Communication: A Comprehensive Examination of HIV/AIDS Awareness and Behavioral Change in India, Samdarhi, pp.4267-4268, Punjab Academy, Delhi

Gautam, S.K., & Kumar, R., (2016). Mass Media for Health Communication and Behavioural Change: A Theoretical Framework, Journal of Media and Social Development, pp. 20-23, Mysore University, Mysore

Downloads

Published

2024-07-31

How to Cite

Hussain, F., & Gautam, S. K. (2024). THE ROLE OF PRINT MEDIA IN SHAPING PUBLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW. ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts, 5(7), 597–603. https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i7.2024.3976