STORY BYRemember the great anti-carb crusade? Or the touting of the benefits of echinacea? Did you slash all carbs from your diet and stock up on a case of herbal remedies?
We often take health advice from popular media, with the assumption that it’s accurate. But can we trust it?
A new study published in the May issue of American Journal of Health Promotion suggests that women seeking health information in their favorite magazines may not be getting the full picture.
Ten million people annually read Cosmopolitan, Glamour and Vogue. The health information they relate can have a huge impact. “These magazines are so prevalent and they’re the primary source of health information for many women,” states Scott Walters, PhD, assistant professor at The University of Texas School of Public Health and the corresponding author for the study. The other authors on the study were Melanie Turner, MPH and Amanda Vader, MPH.
The study analyzed the quality of cardiovascular health information in the nation’s top women’s magazines, Cosmopolitan, Glamour and Vogue. Not only do these magazines have a huge readership, but they also directly give advice in the majority of the health-related articles.
During the six-month study period, Glamour had the most articles related to cardiovascular health (43 articles), nearly twice as many as Cosmopolitan (20) and Vogue (8) combined. As a proportion of health related articles, Vogue gave the most advice (87.5 percent of the time), followed by Cosmopolitan (80 percent) and Glamour (58.1 percent).
To measure consistency and accuracy, the study compared relevant articles to guidelines set out by the American Heart Association. “We used the American Heart Association cardiovascular health guidelines that were released in 2004 as our gold standard,” Walters explains.
“About 12 percent of all articles about health topics in these magazines deal with cardiovascular health,” he says. Of those articles, most articles in the three magazines discuss physical activity (36 percent) or nutrition (31 percent).
The major downfall of these magazines is their fixation with quick-fix diet advice, says Walters. “Slimming down is emphasized above serious cardiovascular health risks,” he says.
“The magazines are more concerned about dropping 10 pounds than better health indicators such as body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference,” Walters says.
But the devil is in the details: The AHA recommends keeping track of your numbers for body mass index, cholesterol, fasting glucose levels and hip-to-waist ratio. Magazines rarely mention these and other key recommendations.
Surprisingly, the No. 1 fitness magazine for women, Shape, was also found lacking in detail. Shape, with editorial content almost exclusively focused on health and wellness, was used as a comparison to the general interest periodicals in the study. “We thought surely Shape was going to ace this,” observes Walters. But while it contained many more articles focused on cardiovascular health, any mention of AHA cardiovascular health guidelines within those articles was not much higher than that of the other magazines (56 percent).
The good news is that none of the magazines imparted incorrect information. Glamour had a slight edge over its competition as the best source for cardiovascular health information. But the articles in all these magazines often don’t get down to specifics.
“The articles were missing more important information. The editors may be trimming out information to tailor to the readership that is more concerned with short-term appearance than long-term risk,” Walters says.
“These magazines may not be representative of the best advice for women’s cardiovascular health.”
So, why aren’t “health” articles stressing focused care of arguably the most important organ in the body? “Cardiovascular health articles are not a flashpoint; it doesn’t get people really going,” Walters notes. “I have yet to see a magazine cover that says, `Get your body mass index to 20 percent or less!’ It’s just not sexy.”
From the number of articles dealing with weight loss, one would think it’s the single most important health goal. “Weight is only a so-so indicator of cardiovascular health,” Walters comments.
Not only is weight loss stressed the most in these magazines, but also advice on weight management was found to be the category least consistent with American Heart Association guidelines—only 19 percent of those articles were deemed consistent, specifically mentioning AHA guidelines.
The study results point out a serious weakness in the health information women are receiving—articles stressing that weight management is the most important health concern, and lack of specific AHA-approved recommendations.
“The articles were less about the long term and more about quick weight-loss solutions,” states Walters, “The goal is short-term appearance.”
How can American women and their magazines overcome the quick-fix fascination? “It could change—and it is. Women can be more aware of long-term markers of cardiovascular health and learn to translate short-term changes into the long-term,” states Walters.
Mass market magazines that run well-researched articles are good sources of basic information, especially if the articles are backed up by responsible organizations. But, relying on magazines alone for all your health information is like subsisting on one food group and calling it a balanced diet.
“Women should expect that they’re not getting the wrong information, but that it’s not fully accurate. They’re getting a good picture, but not the whole picture for long-term health,” Walters says.
Walters recommends the American Heart Association website for women interested in cardiovascular health information, including local activities in your zip code. “It’s the best source for this information, and a site people can trust.
UPDATED: 5-03-2007
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Dr. Scott Walters is an assistant professor of health promotion and behavioral sciences at the UT School of Public Health.
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A slight disturbance or movement may cause the water to violently explode out of the cup. There have been reports of serious skin burns or scalding injuries around people's hands and faces as a result of this phenomenon.
Adding materials such as instant coffee or sugar to the water before heating greatly reduces the risk of hot-water eruption. Also, follow the precautions and recommendations found in microwave oven instruction manuals; specifically the heating time.
