Local News Media Framing of Obesity in the Context of a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Reduction Media Campaign

Abstract Objective This study examined local news media's framing of obesity preceding and surrounding the Philadelphia sugar-sweetened beverage reduction media campaign. Methods Using key search terms pertaining to obesity and sugary beverages, the authors searched the LexisNexis database and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of nutrition education and behavior 2014-11, Vol.46 (6), p.583-588
Main Authors: Jeong, Michelle, MA, Gilmore, Joelle Sano, PhD, Bleakley, Amy, PhD, Jordan, Amy, PhD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beverages
Beverages - adverse effects
Beverages - analysis
Beverages - economics
Coding
Dietary Sucrose - adverse effects
Dietary Sucrose - analysis
Dietary Sucrose - economics
Gastroenterology and Hepatology
health communication
Health Plan Implementation - economics
Humans
Internal Medicine
Internet - economics
mass media
Mass Media - economics
News media
news media framing
Newspapers as Topic - economics
Nutrition
Nutrition Policy - economics
Obesity
Obesity - economics
Obesity - etiology
Obesity - prevention & control
Outcome Measures
Philadelphia
Public health
sugar-sweetened beverages
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Summary:Abstract Objective This study examined local news media's framing of obesity preceding and surrounding the Philadelphia sugar-sweetened beverage reduction media campaign. Methods Using key search terms pertaining to obesity and sugary beverages, the authors searched the LexisNexis database and gathered local news stories (n = 167) that were aired or published between October, 2010 and March, 2011. They conducted a content analysis, coding for framing-related outcome measures (underlying factors, action steps, and contextual agents). Results Overall, the news media employed individual-level framing in the majority of stories when discussing obesity, both before and after the campaign launch. After the campaign launched, however, stories were significantly more likely to mention systemic-level contextual agents such as food companies ( P = .008), beverage companies ( P = .03), and champions or advocates ( P = .001). Conclusions and Implications The researchers observed a shift in the local news media discourse toward more thematic framing of obesity, and suggest that public health officials consider the potential impact of news media frames on garnering public support for future policy implementations.
ISSN:1499-4046
1878-2620
1708-8259
DOI:10.1016/j.jneb.2014.04.294