Presentation of eating disorders in the news media: What are the implications for patient diagnosis and treatment?
OBJECTIVE
Eating disorder (ED) specialists increasingly see anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa as complex mental illnesses with both genetic and social roots. The public, however, tends to view EDs more simply as a manifestation of personal or social problems among female, white, young women. This disconnect potentially prevents timely ED diagnosis and reinforces a stigma that limits treatment availability. We examine the presentation of EDs in daily newspapers, an important contributor to shaping public perception of EDs.


METHODS
We analyze 1 year of coverage about EDs by seven daily U.S. newspapers (252 articles), focusing on the messages conveyed about epidemiology, etiology, severity and treatment.


RESULTS
The highest proportion of articles about EDs (48%) ran in arts and entertainment sections. Articles primarily covered those who are female, young and white, and mentioned mainly environmental causal factors. Only 8% of patient profiles discussed treatment and recovery within a medical context.


CONCLUSIONS
News coverage rarely presents EDs as complex medical phenomena, but rather simplifies and sensationalizes these conditions.


CONCLUSIONS
Educators would benefit from recognizing the news media's role in shaping public perceptions of EDs in ways that differ from clinical perspectives, potentially limiting diagnosis and treatment. Three communication improvements are suggested.
O'Hara
Sarah K
SK
Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, USA.
Smith
Katherine Clegg
KC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015984:Causality; D003142:Communication; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D018156:Journalism, Medical; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009524:Newspapers as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D011639:Public Opinion; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012938:Social Perception; D013240:Stereotyping; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology