Health Journalism and Representation of Campaign News of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Patients

2022 ◽  
pp. 313-329
Author(s):  
Işık Tuncel
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Spinal Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Basic Principle ◽  
Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Treatment Processes ◽  
Do No Harm ◽  
Health Journalism

Health information in all forms and developments from media must benefit public health. The prime responsibility is to spread the correct information in a clear and simple way. The purpose of this study includes the evaluation of campaigns published in the Turkish press under expressions that were used specifically for reporting on spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients, such as “be hopeful” and “running out of time.” Discourse analysis method in the context of health journalism was used within a framework of ethical principles. In the context of this study, the discourse of language published—that is, news created by health journalists during treatment processes of SMA patients and their families—was also examined. This study was conducted in order to increase awareness of health correspondents and is informed by a basic principle of “first do no harm” to public health, consistent with medical professionals.

scholarly journals YouTube as a source of public health information regarding COVID-19 vaccination: an assessment of reliability and quality of video content (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calvin Chan ◽  
Viknesh Sounderajah ◽  
Elisabeth Daniels ◽  
Amish Acharya ◽  
Jonathan Clarke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Video Content ◽  
Public Health Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Quality And Reliability

BACKGROUND Recent emergency authorisation and rollout of COVID-19 vaccines by regulatory bodies has generated global attention. As the most popular video-sharing platform globally, YouTube is a potent medium for dissemination of key public health information. Understanding the nature of available content regarding COVID-19 vaccination on this widely used platform is of substantial public health interest. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the reliability and quality of information of YouTube videos regarding COVID-19 vaccination. METHODS For this cross-sectional study, the phrases ‘coronavirus vaccine’ and ‘COVID-19 vaccine’ were searched on the UK version of YouTube on December 10, 2020. The 200 most-viewed videos of each search were extracted and screened for relevance and English language. Video content and characteristics were extracted and independently rated against Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONCode) and DISCERN quality criteria for consumer health information by two authors. RESULTS Forty-eight videos, with a combined total view count of 30,100,561, were included in the analysis. Topics addressed comprised: vaccine science (58%), vaccine trials (58%), side effects (48%), efficacy (35%) and manufacturing (17%). Twenty-one percent of videos encouraged continued public health measures. Only 4.2% of videos made non-factual claims. Ninety-eight percent of video content was scored to have low (60%) or medium (38%) adherence to HONCode principles. Educational channels produced by both medical and non-medical professionals achieved significantly higher DISCERN scores than other categories. The highest DISCERN scores were achieved by educational videos produced by medical professionals (64.3 (58.5-66.3)) and the lowest scores by independent users (18 (18-20)). CONCLUSIONS Overall quality and reliability of information on YouTube regarding COVID-19 vaccines remains poor. Videos produced by educational channels, especially by medical professionals, were higher in quality and reliability than those produced by other sources, including health-related organisations. Collaboration between health-related organisations and established medical and educational YouTube content producers provide an opportunity for dissemination of high-quality information regarding COVID-19 vaccination. Such collaboration holds potential as a rapidly implementable public health intervention aiming to engage a wide audience and increase public awareness and knowledge.

Carrier screening of spinal muscular atrophy in North Indian population and its public health implications

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-199
Author(s):  
Ishwar C. Verma ◽  
Sudha Kohli ◽  
Shruti Shenbagam ◽  
Sunita Bijarnia‐Mahay ◽  
Ratna DuaPuri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Spinal Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Indian Population ◽  
Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Carrier Screening ◽  
North Indian Population ◽  
Health Implications

The Paradox of the Health Commons

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Natalie Pang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Open Access ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Public Health Information ◽  
Participatory Technologies ◽  
Information Providers ◽  
The Web

Advances in participatory technologies have created both benefits and challenges for consumers of public health information. Health information is more available than before, as well as diverse in terms of sources and information providers. The playing field of information creation and use is level: both medical professionals and the lay person can equally contribute and gain open access to health information via the Web. However, this also creates significant challenges. Information can be used in inappropriate contexts, the user can wrongly diagnose his or her ailments, and reading about ailments can negatively impact hypochondriacs. Contemporary discourse has argued for the benefits of such co-created health information as a health commons, yet more work is required to anticipate and elucidate its related challenges. The paper deepens understanding about the structural layers governing health information, as well as highlights the risks involved. As people use health information at a greater frequency and depth, and use participatory technologies to contribute health information, the discourse on the challenges ahead is imminent.

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