Evaluating Accuracy: Epidemiology Research in Media Reporting

This essay critically examines the reporting of an epidemiological study on obesity, specifically analyzing an article from the New York Times titled 'American Adults Just Keep Getting Fatter.' The analysis focuses on whether the reporters accurately portrayed the research and appropriately used medical concepts. The essay argues that the title of the article is potentially offensive and suggests more suitable phrasing. It further points out the omission of specific epidemiological terms, such as 'risk factors' and 'causes of,' in the reporting. The author suggests that the lack of medical background among reporters may contribute to these inaccuracies and proposes formal training for journalists covering medical news. The essay concludes that many media reports on medical topics are misleading or inaccurate, emphasizing the need for medically trained reporters to ensure accurate communication. Desklib provides access to similar essays and resources for students.

Running Head: EPIDEMIOLOGY
Epidemiology
Students Name
University Affiliation
Date

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Epidemiology
Introduction
Epidemiological studies are vital since they provide critical data concerning the status of
a health issue. Reporting of the results of the epidemiological studies is considered an important
part of the study process. Media platforms have been described as the best ways in which
epidemiological information can be disseminated to the relevant stakeholders¹. For instance, in
the television or newspaper, the job of the reporter is to critically report the medical news in a
way that can be understood by the viewers and readers. In the same manner he or she should
medical language and terms so that the original meaning is not lost. Nevertheless, in the hands of
an inexperienced reporter, the actual as well as true meaning of health research can be lost in the
translation. Instead of educating or informing the public concerning a medical research study,
stories may be exaggerated or can be misleading. In this paper, I will critically discus reporting
of an epidemiological research in one of the newspapers in the united states of America. in my
analysis, I will evaluate whether the auditor portrayed the research accurately, whether he or she
accurately used medical concepts. Article I will analyze is ‘American Adults Just Keep Getting
Fatter’ by Richtel and Jacobs of the New York times.
‘American Adults Just Keep Getting Fatter’ by Richtel and Jacobs of the New York
Times.
Portrayal of the analytic study
The analytic research conducted by Ritchel and Jacobs is about Obesity which is one of
the serious noncommunicable diseases in the United States of America. The title of the research
is inappropriately put since it can be offending to most of the people having obesity². For

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instance, instead of using the words ‘getting fatter’ which is demeaning, they should have used
the words ‘adding weight. ’The whole article though had compelling and accurate data
concerning obesity did not use epidemiological terms that are related to obesity.
Use of the epidemiological concepts in the analytic study
The reporters did not employ certain epidemiological terms like risk factors in stating that
having obesity increases the chances of suffering from diabetes, cancer and heart diseases. They
should have used the word ‘causes of’ in their reporting of factors that cause obesity like eating
too much.
Why the authors did not use epidemiological terms?
One of the major reasons why the authors did not use epidemiological terms is due to the
fact that these authors did not have a medical background in their fields. The second problem
stems from the scientific nature of the medical terms that make it difficult for the authors to
translate or interpret the terms appropriately. Formal training should be done for the reporters
who exclusively do research and report medical news or issues.
Conclusion
Most of the reporting in the various media platform do not follow medical terms. Thus,
they can either misleading or inaccurate. Media platforms should employ reporters who have a
medical background in reporting the medical news.

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Reference list
1. Van Bekkum JE, Hilton S. Primary care nurses’ experiences of how the mass media
influence frontline healthcare in the UK. BMC Family Practice. 2013;14(1):178-186.
doi:10.1186/1471-2296-14-178.
2. Ritchtel, Matt and Jacobs, Andrew. American adults just keep Getting Fatter. March 23,
2018. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/health/obesity-us-
adults.html