| dc.description.abstract | Breast cancer has touched the lives of countless people, yet many women have
misconceptions about the disease. One of the most common sources for breast cancer
information used by American women is popular magazines. The current study sought
to describe the content of magazine articles on breast cancer from 1993 and 2003 in an
attempt to determine whether article content differed, and if so, in what ways and for
what reasons. Topical theme, identification of risk factors, preventive measures, and
sources mentioned were categories developed to determine possible differences in
content between the two years. Twice as many articles on breast cancer appeared in 1993
as in 2003. In 1993, living with breast cancer was a theme of many articles, while in
2003, hormone replacement therapy was a dominant theme. Family history was
emphasized as a risk factor in articles from 1993, while long-term hormone-replacement
therapy was emphasized in 2003. In general, articles in 2003 focused on overall health
practices in the possible prevention of breast cancer. Social, political, and scientific
occurrences relating to breast cancer that took place from the early 1990s through 2003
were considered when analyzing content. Most of the differences in content appeared to
reflect such occurrences. | en |
