Although most Americans get their primary health information from television, an analysis of the content of broadcast health stories showed them to be inaccurate, to lack recommendations, and to fail to discuss prevalence, according to a study published in the American Journal of Managed Care. Of the 1,799 health stories aired on 122 stations in October 2002, 76% covered medical conditions in a median of 33 seconds per story. The top two categories of stories were about infectious diseases and cancer (specifically breast cancer and West Nile virus), followed by ischemic heart disease, influenza immunization, and obesity or weight loss. Although West Nile was a new disease in 2002, the study is critical of the news coverage, which typically failed to cite the less than 1% risk of developing severe disease from the virus, and the lack of information on how to avoid the West Nile.
Cancer stories tended to focus on cancers of the breast, cervix, testicle, and prostate, with only a handful of stories discussing lung cancer—the leading cause of cancer death—skin cancer—the most common cancer—or colon cancer. Only 27% of news stories interviewed a health professional, and some stories contained harmful statements such as exercise may cause cancer and lemon juice is a substitute for HIV medications.
