While examining popular magazine content for overall volume and emphasis of coverage regarding skin cancer and tanning, as well as for focus on risk factors, UV behaviours, and early detection information is important, there are other important ways to study the content to determine whether it may have a potential influence on readers, particularly in terms of their behaviour. To gauge whether coverage of skin cancer and tanning in magazines present skin cancer and tanning information in a way which might influence the health behaviours of the public, the extent to which constructs from the HBM were present in the text and images (i.e., perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, self-efficacy), and the nature of those (e.g., the type of severity information present), were examined.
The HBM has not previously been applied to research on mass media coverage of skin cancer and tanning. Nevertheless, several HBM constructs have been linked to skin cancer-related prevention intentions and behaviours (Jackson & Aiken, 2006; Mahler et al., 2003; Mahler, Fitzpatrick, Parker, & Lapin, 1997; Carmel, Shani, & Rosenberg, 1994). Consider the following examples. Perceived susceptibility to skin cancer and photoaging were associated with sun-protective intentions and behaviours (Mahler et al.,
1997; Mahler et al., 2003), perceived benefits of sun protection were also connected to sun-protection intentions and behaviours (Mahler et al., 1997; Mahler et al., 2003), and perceived barriers of sun protection were negatively correlated to sun protection (Carmel et al., 1994). Thus, it was important to determine whether constructs of the HBM are included in mass print media coverage of skin cancer and tanning as their subtle presence may help to determine message effectiveness.
Figure 1 shows the study components of this doctoral thesis research. The following chapters provide the findings from each of the components.
Objective: characterize visual and text information about skin cancer and tanning in popular North American magazines
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