A Content Analysis of Media Coverage of the Introduction of a Smoke-Free Bylaw in Vancouver Parks and Beaches

The Board of Parks and Recreation in Vancouver, BC approved a smoke-free bylaw in the city\u27s parks, beaches and recreational facilities, effective 1 September 2010. We analyzed local news coverage and portrayal of the bylaw to understand the potential influence of news media on public perception of the bylaw in order to inform the media advocacy work of public health interest groups. We compiled a data set of newspaper articles (n = 90) and conducted a quantitative content analysis to examine content related to the outdoor smoke-free policy, including article slant, topics related to smoking and tobacco control, and any equity-related concerns raised. Newspaper coverage in Vancouver was largely supportive of the outdoor smoke-free bylaw. However, concerns over rights were frequently discussed in letters to the editor. Such equity concerns were rarely discussed in news articles, showing a potential disconnect between the concerns expressed in the media by members of the public and the coverage provided by print media

A Content Analysis of Media Coverage of the Introduction of a Smoke-Free Bylaw in Vancouver Parks and Beaches

The Board of Parks and Recreation in Vancouver, BC approved a smoke-free bylaw in the city\u27s parks, beaches and recreational facilities, effective 1 September 2010. We analyzed local news coverage and portrayal of the bylaw to understand the potential influence of news media on public perception of the bylaw in order to inform the media advocacy work of public health interest groups. We compiled a data set of newspaper articles (n = 90) and conducted a quantitative content analysis to examine content related to the outdoor smoke-free policy, including article slant, topics related to smoking and tobacco control, and any equity-related concerns raised. Newspaper coverage in Vancouver was largely supportive of the outdoor smoke-free bylaw. However, concerns over rights were frequently discussed in letters to the editor. Such equity concerns were rarely discussed in news articles, showing a potential disconnect between the concerns expressed in the media by members of the public and the coverage provided by print media

Smoking on the Margins? Assessing the Effects of a Smoke-free Law in Parks and on Beaches

This study uses a health equity lens to examine the development, adoption and implementation of an outdoor smoke-free bylaw in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The study aims to: Understand the health and health equity effects of a new outdoor smoke-free policy in parks and on beaches; Assess the differential impacts of the policy for diverse groups of women and men, in particular those with a high prevalence and susceptibility to smoking and those who are exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS); Develop recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of future smoke-free policies to reduce any unintended contributions to health inequities arising from their implementation

Smoking on the Margins? Assessing the Effects of a Smoke-free Law in Parks and on Beaches

This study uses a health equity lens to examine the development, adoption and implementation of an outdoor smoke-free bylaw in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The study aims to: Understand the health and health equity effects of a new outdoor smoke-free policy in parks and on beaches; Assess the differential impacts of the policy for diverse groups of women and men, in particular those with a high prevalence and susceptibility to smoking and those who are exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS); Develop recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of future smoke-free policies to reduce any unintended contributions to health inequities arising from their implementation

News media, mental illness and homelessness in Canada: has depiction of mental illness and homelessness changed in Canadian national newspapers since the release of ‘Out of the Shadows at Last’?

On May 9, 2006, a Senate Committee report entitled "Out of the Shadows at Last" was published, highlighting the crisis in the mental health system in Canada. It stressed the critical need to develop the mental health system and to change public attitudes towards mental illness. Using agenda setting and framing theories, the current study explores whether the depiction of mental illness and homelessness changed in Canadian National newspaper coverage since the release of this report. Relevant articles from a 2003-2009 were coded using a categorical codesheet. The results show a significant and lasting increase in the agenda setting potential of Canadian National newspaper coverage regarding mental illness and homelessness since the release of the report. The evidence suggests that the report appears to have played a catalytic role in increasing the overall frequency of reporting on a number of prominent themes concerning mental illness and homelessness

A Content Analysis of Media Coverage of the Introduction of a Smoke-Free Bylaw in Vancouver Parks and Beaches

The Board of Parks and Recreation in Vancouver, BC approved a smoke-free bylaw in the city’s parks, beaches and recreational facilities, effective 1 September 2010. We analyzed local news coverage and portrayal of the bylaw to understand the potential influence of news media on public perception of the bylaw in order to inform the media advocacy work of public health interest groups. We compiled a data set of newspaper articles (n = 90) and conducted a quantitative content analysis to examine content related to the outdoor smoke-free policy, including article slant, topics related to smoking and tobacco control, and any equity-related concerns raised. Newspaper coverage in Vancouver was largely supportive of the outdoor smoke-free bylaw. However, concerns over rights were frequently discussed in letters to the editor. Such equity concerns were rarely discussed in news articles, showing a potential disconnect between the concerns expressed in the media by members of the public and the coverage provided by print media