Effective communication of health news is needed to raise awareness and encourage behavior changes in populations who experience health disparities, or inequalities in health status, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As media researchers search for better methods to reach audiences, a new University of Missouri study published in Public Relations Review has found that highlighting racial disparities in news releases increases coverage of health stories in black newspapers, which can improve health outcomes in populations at-risk for disparities.
"Framing news releases to include conflict factors, such as health disparities and risks, increases health news coverage in local black papers," said Glen Cameron, co-director of the Health Communication Research Center (HCRC) at the Missouri School of Journalism. "Increased coverage of health disparities increases awareness and can result in better health outcomes in at-risk communities."
In the study, the researchers compared health news stories from mainstream papers and local black newspapers published in areas with high disparities for cancer. They found that health news stories in black newspapers contained more conflict factors. This suggests that public relations professionals should include health disparities and other conflict factors in news releases to improve coverage and effectiveness of health news. The use of conflict language also can increase readers' awareness of problems and encourage them to make positive changes.