The relationship between media exposure and awareness of health behaviour guidelines among older Australians

This study aimed to determine whether or not there was a relationship between media exposure and awareness of health behaviour guidelines for physical activity, breast cancer screening and alcohol consumption among older Australians. The results of the study suggest that media exposure to certain health issues does in fact impact on people’s health knowledge and in some cases lead people to form incorrect perceptions. This is most evident with breast cancer where the heavy emphasis on the disease in the media has led to the misconception that breast cancer is the leading cause of death among Australian women and that women under the age of 40 should engage in regular mammograms.