The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #70461

Sonja Herbert, MPH, Berkeley Media Studies Group, National Women's Health Network board of directors, 2140 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 804, Berkeley, CA 94704, 510.204.9700, herbert@bmsg.org

Women's health issues have become a hot topic for news coverage. Unfortunately while the coverage has placed women's health on the public agenda, it may not be leading policymakers to prevention policies or lasting solutions. When issues such as breast cancer, for example, are covered in the traditional way - as either individual survival stories or "news you can use" tips on self breast exam- this leads readers to think of breast cancer as an individual, not societal, problem. This panelist will explore Media Advocacy as a tool advocates can use to strategically engage the news media to highlight the root causes of and possible policy solutions for women's health issues.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to: (
• discuss from a public health perspective the problems with the way women's health is covered in the media; (
• describe what a women's health news story that holds the potential to generate policy change would look like; (
• outline strategies and tools that advocates can use in working with the news media to focus attention on root causes of women's health concerns and possible policy solutions.

Keywords: Public Health Policy, Media Advocacy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.