title: [What do Norwegian media communicate about back pain?].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mass media influence peoples' attitudes and conduct. We set out to investigate what Norwegian mass media write about back pain and whether this information is in accordance with national interdisciplinary guidelines for low back pain (published in 2002).
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative content analysis of 495 news stories from Norwegian newspapers and magazines published in 2001-03 and 2005-06.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most publications were about a single case. Risk factors for low back pain, examinations, treatment and prevention were frequent topics. No publication was in direct disagreement with the clinical guidelines. Dependent on the media type, 44 to 62 % of the publications supported the guidelines' main messages of regaining daily normal activities, including work and exercises, as soon as possible.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Norwegian mass media communicate evidence-based information about low back pain to a large extent. We regard these media as collaborators in the communication of important recommendations in guidelines about low back pain.
authors.affiliation: Formidlingsenheten for muskel-og skjelettlidelser (FORMI), Klinikk for kirurgi og nevrofag, Oslo universitetssykehus, Ullevål, 0407 Oslo, Norway. el@formi.no
authors.forename: Even
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Laerum
authors.forename: Sigurd
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Høye
authors.forename: Ragnhild
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nordland
authors.forename: Vegard
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hegstad
authors.forename: Synnøve Tafjord
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Laerum
authors.forename: Hans Otto
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Engvold
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D001416:Back Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D009524:Newspapers as Topic; D009664:Norway; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors