Press coverage of hormone replacement therapy and menopause

Objective To evaluate the information reported by Italian press articles about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and menopause in terms of completeness clarity of language and transparency Study design In the framework of the Consensus Conference Informing women about hormone replacement therapy 225 articles published from 2000 to 2007 in Italian lay press were evaluated Health magazines weekly news magazines newspapers women s magazines and medical practitioners journals were selected A form covering graphic layout completeness of information clarity of language and transparency was applied to each article by a reviewer The form was tested in a pilot phase Results HRT was recommended to treat menopausal symptoms in more than half of articles (56%) and was described as a preventive measure in almost half (48%) Risks related to HRT were under-reported (58% of the articles) Information on conflicts of interest was lacking (88%) Opinions of experts were the main source of information cited in the articles (66%) Conclusions The information reported by the articles is lacking in several aspects Many women are likely to receive unbalanced information from the press Qualified sources of information delivered on the scientific knowledge available are needed reporting advantages and disadvantages of HRT pharmacological and non-pharmacological alternative treatments and their effectiveness Scientific journalism needs to grow through training The role of researchers and clinicians is discussed (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd All rights reserved