Abstract
BackgroundBreast cancer incidence is increasing in Vietnam with studies indicating low levels of knowledge and awareness and late presentation. While there is a growing body of literature on challenges faced by women in accessing breast cancer services, and for delivering care, no studies have sought to analyse breast cancer messaging in the Vietnamese popular media. The aim of this study was to investigate and understand the content of messages concerning breast cancer in online Vietnamese newspapers in order to inform future health promotional content.MethodsThis study describes a mixed-methods media content analysis that counted and ranked frequencies for media content (article text, themes and images) related to breast cancer in six Vietnamese online news publications over a twelve month period.ResultsMedia content (n = 129 articles & n = 237 images) sampled showed that although information is largely accurate, there is a marked lack of stories about Vietnamese women’s personal experiences. Such stories could help bridge the gap between what information about breast cancer is presented in the Vietnamese media, and what women in Vietnam understand about breast cancer risk factors, symptoms, screening and treatment.ConclusionsGiven findings from other studies indicating low levels of knowledge and women with breast cancer experiencing stigma and prejudice, more nuanced and in-depth narrative-focused messaging may be required.
Highlights
Breast cancer incidence is increasing in Vietnam with studies indicating low levels of knowledge and awareness and late presentation
“research consistently has concluded that health-related content in popular media is problematic from a health promotional standpoint.. that media representations are still suspect – fraught with inaccuracies, misleading and problematic themes, and images that stereotype and stigmatise” [13]
A minority (n = 33, 25%) of the articles we examined mention specific challenges faced by women undergoing breast cancer treatment in Vietnam such as economic challenges (5.4% of articles), experience of financial catastrophe from paying for treatment (3.1%), facing social stigmatisation or discrimination (8.5%)
Summary
Breast cancer incidence is increasing in Vietnam with studies indicating low levels of knowledge and awareness and late presentation. The media is crucial within health communication It is a diverse and constantly evolving industry with multiple stakeholder groups and interests, and can be information-based, entertainment-orientated, or a combination of the two. (and) that media representations are still suspect – fraught with inaccuracies, misleading and problematic themes, and images that stereotype and stigmatise” [13] This nexus between the potential benefits that may ensue from well-targeted and delivered health messaging through the media, and the contrasting potential for the proliferation of misinformation on health, makes media an important area of study in global and public health
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