Breast cancer coverage in the media in malaysia: a qualitative content analysis of star newspaper articles

BACKGROUND: The media play big roles in the public understanding of many health issues, and the information relayed to the public through the media clearly influences behavior.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to determine whether the content of articles on breast cancer in women published in the Star newspaper in 1997 differed from that of those published in 2007 and also to determine what factors may have caused any differences.

METHODOLOGY: About 45 articles were identified for the year 1997 and 97 from the year 2007. Copies of the articles were obtained through the Star newspaper library. All the articles were read an initial time. The final sample for analysis consisted of 18 newspaper articles published in 1997 and 79 in 2007. Once data collection sheets were completed for all articles, the data were transferred to two spreadsheets and analyzed manually.

RESULTS: Living with breast cancer was the main theme of many articles in both years. Family history was emphasized as a risk factor in articles from 2007, while an inappropriate bra, electrical power lines, stress, smoking and alcohol were emphasized in 1997 as risk factors. In general, articles in 2007 focused on overall health practices, especially exercise, while in 1997, mammography was considered as the dominant prevention method.

CONCLUSION: The content of the articles on breast cancer that were published in the Star newspaper in Malaysia in 1997 totally differed from that of those published in 2007. The differences seem to reflect social, political, and scientific occurrences over the period studied.