Table 2. Prevalence and framing of health disparities/SDH stories.
| City A, mainstream paper na |
City A, ethnic paper na |
City B, mainstream paper na |
City B, ethnic paper na |
Total across papers Na |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of health disparities stories | 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 21 |
| No. of non-disparities health stories | 130 | 36 | 425 | 59 | 650 |
| Disparities cause specifiedb,c | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 14 |
| Framed in genetic terms | -- | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Framed in behavioral individual) terms | -- | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Framed in health care terms | -- | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Framed in societal (social contextual) terms | -- | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Disparities solution specifiedb,d | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 |
| Framed in genetic terms | -- | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Framed in behavioral (individual) terms | -- | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Framed in health care terms | -- | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Framed in societal (social contextual) terms | -- | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Health disparities defined as comparison of specific groupsb | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 20 |
| Comparison of race/ethnicity | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 18 |
| Comparison of socioeconomic status or position | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Comparison of other individual, group, or societal characteristic (e.g., gender, age, sexual orientation, geographic region) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
n refers to the number of news stories.
Coders could identify more than one causal or solution explanation in a single news story. Similarly, they could identify more than one disparities comparison in a single news story. Coders could also identify no causal explanations, solution explanations, or comparison of specific groups in a single news story.
Genetic cause = group differences in genetic makeup; behavioral cause = group differences in knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, or cultural norms; health care cause = group differences in access to health care or differences in the quality of health care received; societal cause = group differences in social, physical, or environmental conditions. Coders who selected one of these four causal explanations responded to a corresponding follow-up question that asked which particular genetic, behavioral, health care, or societal cause(s) was mentioned (e.g., for behavioral causes: (1) sedentary lifestyle; (2) poor diet/nutrition; (3) failure to quit smoking/tobacco use, etc.).
Genetic solution = targeted genetic testing or pharmacotherapy; behavioral solution = culturally tailored behavioral interventions, educational programs, or media interventions; health care solution = increasing health insurance access, coverage, or quality; societal solution = redistributive policies to improve social, physical, or environmental conditions. Coders who selected one of these four solution explanations responded to a follow-up question asking about which particular solution(s) was mentioned (e.g., for behavioral solutions: (1) physical activity interventions; (2) dietary interventions; (3) smoking cessation interventions, etc.).