Search Results for "Headline vs study"
‘Holy grail of food allergy treatment?’ Food allergies weren’t even part of this 2-person study
The release should have been more clear that this study has significant limitations in both sample size and duration of effect and that nothing is known about whether this effect can be repeated usefully, reliably or safely.
New cancer drug can prevent reactions to common airborne allergens
Mayo study on second opinions • Lots of coverage, most of it third-rate
A Mayo Clinic study, published Tuesday in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, compares the initial diagnosis given to patients by their primary doctor, with the diagnosis they ultimately received by Mayo internists after being referred for a second opinion. Many news outlets framed the results the way UPI did in its headline: “Study finds […]
CNN claims aspirin can reduce cancer death risk, falling into observational study trap
This story is a brief, uncritical look at a study examining ties between aspirin use and rates of cancer mortality.
Low-dose aspirin can reduce risk of death from cancer, research says
Vitamin D prevents colds? News stories turn blind eye to limitations of sunshine vitamin study
Vitamin D is a hot research topic, but the public gets a lot of mixed messages about its usefulness and safety. Case in point: One of the latest studies, published Wednesday, Feb. 15, analyzed results from 25 previous trials and found that vitamin D supplementation might help prevent respiratory infections in some people who have low […]
CBS barely dodges observational study trap with hot chili pepper story
In this study, hot chili peppers were associated with a longer life but also lower income and higher rates of smoking and alcohol consumption.
Good news for people who love spicy food
Why you should be skeptical of recent news headlines about the Mediterranean diet and brain health
Another week, another study about the Mediterranean diet in the news. This time, it’s an observational study finding an association between the diet and a reduced rate of brain shrinkage among people in their early 70s. At least a half-dozen news sites jumped on this one, likely hoping to capitalize on resolution-minded readers hungry for […]
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News releases exaggerate the results of scientific research — a new study shows why this should stop
Even news releases from respected peer-reviewed journals are subject to exaggeration – but those exaggerations aren’t associated with significant increases in news coverage of the research being presented. Those are the findings of a recent paper published in the journal PLOS ONE that highlights the important role that press officers play in shaping health and science […]
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Overall impressive: News media coverage of NEJM study on treating vs not treating prostate cancer
Joy Victory is deputy managing editor of HealthNewsReview.org. She tweets as @thejoyvictory. An important new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine provides clarity on outcomes of men with early prostate cancer who either received surgery, radiation or “active monitoring,” which means patients were given routine checks and only treated if the cancer was […]
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Eat spaghetti, lose weight? Message from Big Pasta-funded study needed more scrutiny from journalists
Kathlyn Stone is an associate editor with HealthNewsReview.org. She tweets as @katkstone. A news release from Italy’s Neuromed Institute this week is driving media outlets from the U.S. to China (and all points in between) to react excitedly to the “best study ever” on pasta. The release claims that pasta contributes to a lower body-mass […]
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Media mystery: Why did journalists ignore an important study on a costly, harmful back pain procedure?
Kevin Lomangino is the managing editor of HealthNewsReview.org. He tweets as @KLomangino. What qualifies as “news” in the topsy-turvy world of health care can be a real head-scratcher sometimes. A few weeks ago, the New York Times reported in some depth about a two-week, 9-person study of bicyclists headlined, Chocolate Can Boost Your Workout. Really. […]
Media case study: PR news release vs. news stories on mammography screenings for older women
If you’re not at least a little bit confused by current mammography guidelines you’re in the minority. And if you’re an elderly woman (75 and up) or a caregiver for one it can be especially daunting to stay on top of the latest recommendations regarding mammogram screenings in later life. Policy makers don’t have as […]
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New DCIS study, news release lead to (very) mixed messages: ‘And we wonder why patients get confused’
The following is the first contribution to the blog by Dave Mosher, a deputy editor at Tech Insider who joined the HealthNewsReview.org team of reviewers earlier this year. His writing about science, technology, and innovation has appeared in outlets such as WIRED, Popular Science, and Scientific American. It’s an all-too-common theme in the theater of health news: scientists publish […]
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Why did last week’s mammography study get so much news, but the DCIS study didn’t?
Last week, journalists were handed a wonderful opportunity to educate readers about one important part of the dilemma in breast cancer screening recommendations. Most of them blew the chance. Two unrelated papers were published in two different journals. But while the work behind the papers was unrelated – different research teams with a different […]
3/10/2014On Alzheimer’s study, standout stories evaluated both evidence & ethics
A study published in Nature Medicine is sending journalists tumbling over each other with enthusiasm for claims that a blood test could help predict Alzheimer’s disease. Dozens and dozens of stories reported the study with no independent scientific perspective and with little or no discussion of the ethics questions involved in an Alzheimer’s test – […]
5 3/6/2014Why the Scandinavian prostate cancer study doesn’t translate to the U.S.
Lots of news coverage about a Scandinavian prostate cancer study. Here’s a guest post on the study from Richard M. Hoffman, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, and Staff Physician in the New Mexico VA Health Care System. He has done story reviews and written blog posts […]
