The quality of the evidence for dietary advice given in UK national newspapers.
Cooper, Benjamin EJ;
Lee, William E;
Goldacre, Ben M;
Sanders, Thomas AB;
(2012)
The quality of the evidence for dietary advice given in UK national newspapers.
Public understanding of science (Bristol, England), 21 (6).
pp. 664-673.
ISSN 0963-6625
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662511401782
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INTRODUCTION: Newspaper reports advocating dietary intake changes may impact on dietary choice and food related health beliefs. The scientific basis and quality of evidence underpinning these reports is uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the scientific quality of newspaper reporting related to dietary advice. DESIGN: Articles offering dietary advice from the top ten selling UK newspapers for a randomly selected week were assessed using two established evidence grading scales: developed by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN). RESULTS: Of 111 dietary health claims identified, 72% and 68% (assessed by WCRF and SIGN criteria respectively) had levels of evidence lower than the convincing or probable categories that are recommended for dietary health claims. CONCLUSIONS: Misreporting of dietary advice by UK newspapers is widespread and may contribute to public misconceptions about food and health.
