Media Risk Influences on Cancer Risk Perceptions

Media Risk Influences on Cancer Risk Perceptions Research Team: Erv Bettinghaus, Mike Slater, Marilee Long, Snip Young, Jenifer Voeks, Marilee Long, Tom Keefe, Katherine Clegg-Smith Project Manager: Katie Fisher Specific Aims: Identify the relative amount and type of print, broadcast and news coverage given to various risks associated with cancer and to cancer control policies.

Characterize how cancer risk is articulated in the news stories. Test for evidence that estimates of cancer risk likelihood are a function of news coverage. Test for evidence that public perceptions and attitudes toward cancer screening are related to media coverage. Identify cancer related risks and cancer control policies that are underreported relative to their potential for raising public concern about cancer. Sources of Information and Data for this Study: Samples of cancer-related news stories have been

collected by Mike Slater and Marilee Long at Colorado State University along with alcohol and tobacco related News Media collected for another NIH Study. These stories will be content analyzed by CSU for the current study. Results from NCIs Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) will be used to determine how attitudes and perceptions are related to media exposure and content. Research Questions: Research Question 1:

What are the differences in the amount, prominence, and tone of the various cancer related risks? Are these differences related to differences in the amount or nature of media coverage both nationally and regionally? Research Question 2: What Sources are responsible for existing media reports for each of the cancer related risks being studied? Does this vary by media type, region or amount of tobacco advertising in the media outlets?