Aim: Taking into account that a key determinant in public approval of vaccinations is how the media constructs and frames messages about vaccination programmes, our aim is to review communication studies exploring media coverage of vaccines within traditional media venues. Methods: Using a registered protocol (PROSPERO: 42017072849), a systematic review was conducted that searched in three international electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and the International Bibliography of Social Science) for articles published between 2007 and 2017 following content-analysis methods. The characteristics and outcomes were systematically identified and described. The search yielded 24 eligible studies that were further analysed in the review. Results: Media coverage of vaccines has been largely studied during the last decade. Findings revealed that 62% ( n = 15) of studies analysed the human papillomavirus vaccine, 87% ( n = 21) examined newspapers, and 62% ( n = 15) examined North American media. In relation to media content analyses, 75% found negative messages on vaccines and 83% identified a lack of accurate information. Conclusions: This systematic review suggests an agenda for further research. There is a significant need to analyse other types of traditional media beyond newspapers. Future studies should focus on other geographical areas such as low-income countries and on analysing visual materials and digital media. We found that negative messages and inaccurate information are common in media coverage on vaccines; therefore, further research focusing on these topics is needed. Officials in public health organizations should develop a close collaboration with the media to improve public communication on vaccines.

A systematic review was conducted to identify, appraise, and synthesize data from original research investigating the use of traditional media for public communication about medicines. Databases were searched for studies conducting quantitative or qualitative analyses between the years 2007 and 2017. Data extraction and assessment of the quality of the resulting studies was conducted by one reviewer and checked for accuracy by a second reviewer. A total of 57 studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies were grouped as follows: "newspapers and other print media" (n = 42), "television" (n = 9), and "radio and a combination of media" (n = 6). Content analysis (n = 34) was the most frequent research design, followed by surveys or interviews (n = 14) and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (n = 9). Advertising, public awareness, and health administration were the most common themes, and the medicines most analyzed were vaccines, particularly human papillomavirus (HPV) and influenza. Studies conducted in the United States were the most frequent, followed by other high-income countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom. The lack of consistent studies of the effects of media campaigns stresses the importance of the use of standardized research methodologies. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings for further research are discussed.

El periodismo actual explora a nivel internacional nuevas fórmulas en la elaboración de la información a través de narrativas transmedia y de dispositivos móviles, donde la comunicación multimedia e hipertextual se enriquece con contenidos más eficientes. Se trata de fórmulas universales donde la producción informativa busca la participación de la audiencia con sus comentarios o redifusiones a través de las redes sociales, que generan un modelo de consumo televisivo proactivo por parte de una audiencia social. En este artículo se muestra una revisión del periodismo y de la comunicación transmedia, como innovación dentro del ecosistema digital, donde se trabajan textos periodísticos, imágenes, audios, vídeos interactivos, infografías, GIFs, mapas, links… A través de los que se invita a participar a la audiencia de verdaderas obras de arte digitales en reportajes y documentales online visionados en segundas pantallas. La comunicación transmedia gira en torno a historias informativas que se desarrollan en múltiples plataformas. Cada una de ellas contribuye de forma distinta a la comprensión global de la historia como un nuevo relato, seleccionando los canales más adecuados para conseguir un valor añadido en la comunicación. No existen fronteras. La hibridación de lenguajes y la convergencia tecnológica son las claves de una auténtica revolución silenciosa, que apunta hacia un modelo emergente en el periodismo actual.

Background: Despite the effectiveness of vaccines being well established and recognized by the research community, eleven European countries have adopted mandatory vaccination programs because of vaccine hesitancy. Lack of information and fake news are considered the main reasons. The media are a powerful tool for spreading vaccine-related information. The study of media effects on vaccine uptake has received little attention in Europe. Objective: To explore the association of childhood vaccination rates in Spain with vaccine-related coverage in print media. Methods: A content analysis of newspaper coverage of vaccines was conducted. The study variables were: national vaccination rates, article publication dates, tone and main theme of the articles. We conducted a correlation analysis to assess the association between media coverage and childhood vaccine uptake. Results: While vaccine coverage with positive and neutral tones significantly increased during the study period (p < .001), the number of articles with a negative tone remained unchanged (p = .306). There was a significant and inverse correlation between negative newspaper coverage and childhood vaccine uptake (r = −.771, p < .05). During 2016 and 2017, although the media reporting declined, vaccination rates kept increasing. The most frequent themes were about the development of the Ebola vaccine, and the chickenpox and meningitis vaccine crises. Conclusions: Our findings expand the understanding of media role on vaccination and suggest that the media need to be considered as an important player during vaccination campaigns. The study points to the important educational role of the media in public health.

Este artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación financiada sobre información en salud y la responsabilidad de los diferentes sectores involucrados en la comunicación de este conocimiento. Objetivos. Los objetivos son conocer si se consigue información educativa con rigor y calidad en la prensa vasca, analizar la información sanitaria y examinar el trabajo de los periodistas en el ámbito sanitario y su relación con los médicos. Metodología. Se han implementado técnicas cuantitativas y cualitativas. Se realizó un análisis de los contenidos de la prensa vasca entre 2001-2010: El Correo, Noticias de Gipuzkoa, Noticias de Álava, Diario de Navarra y Berria. Un total de 30.311 periódicos publicados en las dos regiones en un período de diez años. Los datos se recopilaron según la técnica de la "semana compuesta". El estudio cualitativo se ha realizado mediante entrevistas en profundidad a expertos durante 2012: periodistas que publican habitualmente información sanitaria en los periódicos mencionados y directores de centros sanitarios del País Vasco y Navarra. Conclusión. Este estudio plantea el problema de que la información en salud carece de una perspectiva educativa; Se requiere una especialización profesional y médicos y periodistas deben fortalecer una mejor relación minimizando las diferencias que los separan.

Specialty matters. Analysis of health journalists’ coverage about vaccines