Abstract
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.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-18-2013
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph10094444
Repository Citation
Moshrefzadeh, Arezu; Rice, Wendy; Pederson, Ann; and Okoli, Chizimuzo T.C., "A Content Analysis of Media Coverage of the Introduction of a Smoke-Free Bylaw in Vancouver Parks and Beaches" (2013). Nursing Faculty Publications. 4.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/nursing_facpub/4
Notes/Citation Information
Published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, v. 10, no. 9, p. 4444-4453.
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).