A study in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention reports widespread confusion in America about cancer and cancer prevention.
Nearly half of respondents (47.1%) agreed that “It seems like almost everything causes cancer,” 27.0% agreed that “There’s not much people can do to lower their chances of getting cancer,” and 71.5% agreed that “There are so many recommendations about preventing cancer, it’s hard to know which ones to follow.”
I’m a journalist so I always look in the mirror first and I blame journalists for creating much of this confusion. The “cure” or “killer” emphasis in many stories – in order to compete for space or airtime – shows no appreciation for public understanding. Fulltime health, medical and science reporting jobs are being slashed all over the country.
Just look at how some top news organizations recently handled cancer screening stories.
And then we have health insurance marketing people shoveling “consumer driven health care plans” at us. This study is further evidence of how far away many Americans are from understanding how to be in the driver’s seat of their own health care – admirable though that goal may be.
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Many of the principles that we promoted to journalists and to the general public from 2006-18 are embodied in this terrific project based in Oslo. https://t.co/KO1o9JTYK7
Following a shift in journalism’s business model, a diverse ecosystem of publications, many covering science, has sprung up online. This has made it more difficult to sort out what qualifies as journalism, what doesn’t, and whether the public even cares.
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Researchers and journalists do the public a grave disservice when they spin health study results to make them appear safer or more effective than warranted, says @HealthNewsRevu founder @garyschwitzer https://t.co/QIKsRbP6Ed
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