Health and the Media

This book is a collection of the best contemporary studies on health and the media. It brings together perspectives from media studies and medical sociology in order to illuminate the influence that the mass media have on health beliefs and behaviour, and on health care practices and policy-making.

The book comprises a series of contributions written by specialists from around the world. These contributions examine the production processes that shape the media's presentation of health, the messages contained in media representations of health, and the effects of media representations of health on audiences. They focus particularly on previously neglected areas of research, such as the role of the Internet, studies of production and reception, and the reporting of health care policies. The book also points the way forward for future development in this exciting new field.