Meningococcal disease in Italy: public concern, media coverage and policy change.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Between 2015 and 2017 six deaths due to meningitis in the Lombardy Region, Northern Italy, caught the attention of media and increased concern among the population, with a consequent increase in demand for vaccination. Considering the evidence about the impact of media coverage of health issues on public behaviour, this paper investigates the trend of media coverage and internet searches regarding meningitis in the Lombardy Region.

Methods

Content analysis of online articles published from January 2015 to May 2017 and analysis of Google Trends were carried out. A codebook was created in order to assess the content of each article analysed, based on six areas: article characteristics, information about meningococcal disease and vaccination, Local Health Authority a

SUBMITTER: Covolo L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6686541 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature