title: [Media treatment of messages on weight loss products by the Association for Public Health of Quebec and its reception].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The results of a study on weight loss products and services were released during a press conference organized by the Association pour la santé publique du Québec (ASPQ). The media widely covered this press conference. The purpose of this article is to answer the question: "How are messages emitted by public health institutions transmitted by the media and received by the population?"
  
  
  METHODS
  The transcripts of the press conference, the press release as well as 43 documents from the print and broadcast media were evaluated according to a press analysis method. The analysis of these documents was based on the concept of the information unit. The compilation of these information units was used to produce charts which include data such as the frequency, partiality, weight tendency ("poids-tendance") and tendency-impact ("tendance-impact"). Furthermore, two focus groups of persons using weight loss products and services were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this article, we compare the emitted message with the one transmitted. The analysis of the message emitted by the ASPQ and that conveyed by the media revealed that for almost all subjects dealt with during the press conference, the media have been more partial than the ASPQ. The media not only expanded on the emitted message but also gave a negative image of weight loss products and services. Furthermore, the message transmitted by the media was very similar to the initial message. The focus groups on how the message was received by persons using weight loss products and services also revealed that the message was lost in the flow of information on weight loss products and services.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This analysis of the emitted, transmitted and received messages has given us some indications on how to readjust the initial message and on what to emphasize in future press conferences.
authors.affiliation: Groupe de recherche médias et santé, Université du Québec à Montréal. renaud.lise@uqam.ca
authors.forename: Lise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Renaud
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bouchard
authors.forename: Lyne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mongeau
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maisonneuve
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caron-Bouchard
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moreau
authors.forename: Laurette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dubé
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gagnon
mesh_terms: D017144:Focus Groups; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D011639:Public Opinion; D011792:Quebec; D015431:Weight Loss