| dc.description.abstract | Breast cancer and diabetes are unquestionably major public health problems for American women; however, women are more concerned about breast cancer than diabetes. Women often overestimate their risk of dying of breast cancer and underestimate their risk of developing diabetes. Because women’s magazines are a common source of health information for American women, the purpose of the current study was to use content analysis to compare the amounts and characteristics of breast cancer and diabetes coverage in five popular US women’s magazines from 2015 through 2019. The results of the study revealed that more articles, words, and pages were devoted to breast cancer than diabetes and indicated that several differences existed between the coverage of the two diseases. Most of the diabetes articles, but almost none of the breast cancer articles identified disease prevalence. Almost five times as many breast cancer articles as diabetes articles identified screening as a risk-reducing behavior, and a little less than twice as many breast cancer articles as diabetes articles discussed treatment. Additionally, breast cancer articles tended to use more current or former patients as a source of information than diabetes articles, and diabetes mentioned more research; less than a quarter of all breast cancer and diabetes articles mentioned both a current or former patient and research within the same article. Lastly, breast cancer articles tended to identify unmodifiable risk factors whereas diabetes articles tended to identify modifiable risk factors; less than half of the breast cancer and diabetes articles that identified at least one risk factor identified both unmodifiable and modifiable factors within the same article. Based on the results, women’s magazines may help increase women’s awareness of diabetes by devoting more coverage to the disease than at present. Additionally, identifying prevalence in more breast cancer articles and identifying screening as a risk-reducing behavior in more diabetes articles may help women develop accurate risk perceptions of the two diseases. Lastly, aiming for a more balanced discussion about treatment and unmodifiable and modifiable risk factors and using more current or former patients as sources of information in breast cancer and diabetes articles may help reduce stigma women feel about both diseases. | en |
