Health Information in Vietnamese-American Print Media: Results of a Content Analysis

Abstract

Purpose.

Vietnamese-Americans (VA) constitute a large minority community that is mostly foreign born with limited English proficiency. This article compares the health content of free print media targeting VA with that of free English-language print media.

Design.

Content analysis.

Setting.

All free print media available at the three largest VA-serving supermarkets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were reviewed. Comparison English-language periodicals included free and purchased publications.

Measures.

We identified and coded 254 health content–containing articles from 22 issues of six periodicals (four free Vietnamese, one free English language, and one purchased English language) collected over a 4-week period.

Analysis.

Chi-square and t-tests for independent samples were used to compare free Vietnamese- and free English-language periodicals. Additional analyses included all English-language periodicals as the comparison group.

Results.

Higher proportions of advertisements and “pseudonews” articles (ads formatted like news stories) were found in free Vietnamese- vs. free English-language publications (overt ads, 61% vs. 28%; pseudonews, 18% vs. 0%). Moreover, Vietnamese-language publications did not contain many articles addressing diseases most commonly found in Asian-Americans.

Discussion.

The significant proportion made up by profit-motivated health content in VA print media points to an untapped opportunity to provide evidence-based information about health topics of interest to this community. Future studies should examine secular trends, assess multiple communities, and develop community-based participatory approaches to improving access to quality health information among minorities with limited English proficiency.

Keywords

Asian-American Health Communication Content Analysis Media Advertising Health Education Prevention Research Manuscript format: research Research purpose: descriptive Study design: content analysis Outcome measure: other Setting: local community Health focus: intellectual health Strategy: education Target population age: adults Target population circumstances: geographic location (Philadelphia Pennsylvania)race/ethnicity (Asian-Americans)

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