Financial incentives to encourage healthy behaviour: an analysis of U.K. media coverage.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Policies to use financial incentives to encourage healthy behaviour are controversial. Much of this controversy is played out in the mass media, both reflecting and shaping public opinion.

Objective

To describe U.K. mass media coverage of incentive schemes, comparing schemes targeted at different client groups and assessing the relative prominence of the views of different interest groups.

Design

Thematic content analysis.

Subjects

National and local news coverage in newspapers, news media targeted at health-care providers and popular websites between January 2005 and February 2010.

Setting

U.K. mass media.

Results

The study included 210 articles. Fifteen separate arguments favourable towards schemes, and 19 unfavourable, were identifie

SUBMITTER: Parke H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4180042 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature