Although progress is being made in prevention research, important findings too often fail to reach the communities, practitioners, and policymakers who can benefit most from them. In Phase 1 of a 5-year project, we conducted an observational study to determine the extent to which prevention research findings published in scientific journals are presently reported on by local media. Articles containing content related to tobacco, diet, and physical activity, the leading modifiable risk factors for chronic disease mortality, as they relate to chronic disease were identified from 11 scientific journals involved in prevention research and community health. We concurrently reviewed newspapers from four Missouri communities for articles meeting these same criteria. Of 1695 total journal articles, 423 (25%) met inclusion criteria. A total of 1373 newspaper articles met our criteria, of which 174 total references to journals were made. Two of the journals mentioned in the newspaper articles, the Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine, together accounted for 41% of references in newspaper articles. However, both accounted for only 25% of the 423 included articles from all 11 journals. For the general public to receive and benefit from successes in prevention research from their local media, newspapers could access more sources of health and science information, and/or journals could provide a greater emphasis to prevention. Phase 2 of this project will involve a translation of prevention findings into locally-relevant stories, and provide reporters with the information and resources needed to develop these stories.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe patterns of prevention research published in leading health research journals. 2. Describe patterns of prevention research published in four local newspapers. 3. List two ways to influence these patterns to reflect more prevention research in the journals and in newspapers.
Keywords: Media, Chronic Diseases
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