Dementia Knowledge in Chinese Newspapers (2005-2020): A Topic Modeling Analysis

Area of Science:

• Public health communication
• Media studies
• Gerontology

Background:

• Newspapers shape public understanding of dementia through policy dissemination.
• Understanding media portrayals is crucial for public health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze Chinese newspaper coverage of dementia from 2005-2020.
• To identify trends in dementia knowledge and public perception.
• To assess media's role in dementia stigma.

Main Methods:

• Topic modeling (Latent Dirichlet Allocation - LDA) was applied to 12,719 articles from 45 mainland Chinese newspapers.
• Analysis covered the period 2005-2020 using the WiseNews database.
• Identified six prevalent topics: lifestyle, neighborhood, research, media, caregiving, and pharmaceuticals.

Main Results:

• Dementia caregiving articles increased, while lifestyle recommendations decreased between 2005-2020.
• Newspapers frequently linked dementia with old age, perpetuating stigma through biased language.
• Coverage spanned key dimensions of dementia knowledge.

Conclusions:

• Media portrayals significantly influence public understanding and perception of dementia.
• There's a need for targeted mass media campaigns to enhance dementia literacy in China.
• Fostering a dementia-inclusive society requires addressing media-related stigma.