Content analysis of news coverage on cancer prevention and screening in Japanese newspapers

Objectives　The present study investigated articles on cancer prevention published in Japanese newspapers in 2011.Methods　A content analysis of news coverage on cancer primary prevention and screening was conducted. Articles which mentioned cancer risk, prevention, and screening were extracted. For all articles on prevention, the newspaper's name, month of publication, and information source were checked. Coding variables for articles on primary prevention included causes of human cancer, risk and/or prevention, and recommended screening criteria. Cancer screening articles were classified according to four coding variables: cancer screening site, subjects for screening, examination interval, and whether to promote the screening.Results　A total of 272 articles were identified and subsequently coded as either articles on primary prevention or screening. The number of articles on primary prevention was 208. The focus of these articles was mostly on food/nutrition (n=56), cancer-causing infection (n=40), and smoking (n=32). Alcohol drinking (n=12), exercise/physical activity (n=11), and obesity (n=10), which are also major lifestyle factors for cancer, were rarely mentioned. Moreover, cancer risk was more frequently mentioned than prevention. The recommended criteria for major lifestyle factors were mentioned in 13 articles. Screening was mentioned in 92 articles. Breast cancer screening was the most frequently mentioned (n=31). The screening of colon (n=18), cervical (n=18)，stomach (n=15), and lung cancer (n=10), which are recommended by the cancer control act, were mentioned in less than 20 articles. Seven articles on screening indicated subjects and interval. Only 39 articles discussed cancer-screening behaviors.Conclusions　Articles on cancer prevention were found to be published in Japanese newspapers. However, the number of articles on both primary prevention and screening was not enough, and there were some disparities in the lifestyle factors and specific type of screening that were mentioned in these articles. Considering the influence of newspapers as a source of information on cancer prevention, it is necessary to encourage publishers to increase the number of published articles on cancer primary prevention and screening in Japanese newspapers.