To find out what the information really means, look past the headline—and read between the lines.

If a headline in the morning newspaper catches your interest, chances are you’ll at least scan the first paragraph to learn more.

But if it’s news about health—especially news you might act on—you’ll want to keep reading right on through to the very last sentence. Not just because your health is important, but because acting on the headline alone or reading no more than the first few sentences could be hazardous to your health.

The hidden story is that health news in the newspaper and on television, the radio, or the Internet can be misleading.

“You’ve got to go beyond the headline or the sound bite and look into what’s really going on,” says Kimberly M. Thompson, Sc.D., author of Risk in Perspective: Insight and Humor in the Age of Risk Management.

The Nature of News
Years ago it was different, Thompson notes. Reporters on the health beat might spend a week researching and writing a health article. But with the advent of the Internet and 24-hour cable news, the nature of news has changed. Reporters are often writing shorter, overly simplistic pieces in order to get them out fast and scoop the story. You can still find good information out there, but too many “news” items are written by people with little or no training and low journalistic standards.

The problem for you, the consumer, is that something that looks and sounds authoritative could be shoddy reporting without your knowing it.

“It’s gotten so much harder to distinguish good information from bad,” Thompson says. “People should know the evening news is usually not trying to educate you. It’s trying to alert or entertain you.”

Digging Deeper
Your best antidote is to have an inquiring mind, Thompson insists. She recommends that anytime you read or view an item of health news, you should ask key questions such as:

• What are the facts? The news item may lead off with an emotional story of someone deeply affected by a health issue—but what are the facts that might make this news item relevant to you personally?

  For example, are a large number of people affected by this health issue, or just a few? Was the study done on older Japanese men, but you’re a young Hispanic woman? You have to look beyond the presentation.

• How reliable is the source? A scientific study published in a peer-reviewed journal will be far more reliable than an anecdotal or unpublished report. A study of 26,000 people will be far more reliable than one of 26.
• Who is behind this information? Is it provided by experts? By trained journalists? Or could a news report be biased because it’s funded by a company with a product to sell or an interest group with an agenda to push?
• How strong is the overall evidence? A news report can mislead if it doesn’t explain the weight of the evidence.

  For example, it might be one of the first studies of its kind, in which case it could be proven wrong by later research. Or it might be a small study that contradicts the findings of a large body of existing research.

• Does the information matter to me personally? A report that two people were struck by lightning may be attention-grabbing, but a less interesting article on the link between diet and heart disease may be far more relevant to you, particularly if your doctor has warned that you’re at high risk for this condition.
• What can I do to reduce my risk? If the news report is relevant to you, it’s a good opportunity to think through the steps you might take to lower your risks. For example, what food items can you buy to start eating a healthier diet, and can you commit to sustaining a better diet?
• What are the trade-offs? If a news report says a new medication is great at reducing symptoms of the common cold, for example, you’ll want to know about any possible side effects from the drug.
• Where can I learn more? Without having the full published study in front of you, you can learn only so much. Before you make a health decision based on a news report, ask your doctor about the best approach for you personally. You also can learn more at your local library or on reputable Web sites, such as those sponsored by government agencies.

  Suppose you hear that your favorite hobby has been linked to cancer, or that taking a certain medication doubles your risk for stroke.

  “The key thing is to not be emotional about it,” Thompson suggests. “Ask questions to find out what this piece of news really means.”

  To do so, always read past the headline down to the last paragraph, she recommends.

  “Often the limitations of the study might make it inapplicable to you,” she explains. “Those things get mentioned at the end, and sometimes you have to go to another source.”

Most people know what they need to do to be healthier, she adds. “For many Americans, the primary thing they can do to improve their health has to do with diet, exercise, and smoking cessation. Keep your eye on what really matters and don’t be distracted by information that isn’t important.”

For the Full Story

• Visit the Health Insight Web site. Learn more from Kimberly Thompson about making sense of health news at www.health-insight.harvard.edu.
• Take an online tutorial. In 16 minutes you can learn how to evaluate the health information you find on the Internet at the MedlinePlus Web site, www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/webeval/webeval.html
• Learn more about nutrition news. The Harvard School of Public Health tells how to decipher media stories on diet and nutrition at www.hsph.harvard.edu, search for “nutrition news media.”
• Get a better sense of your health risks in the tip sheet “Understanding Risk: What Do Those Headlines Really Mean?” from the National Institute on Aging at www.niapublications.org, search for “risk headlines.”
• Find all the facts. Just about everything you might want to know about how to find more information on a medical topic appears in “How to Find Medical Information,” an online guide from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Visit www.niams.nih.gov, search for “how to find health info.”

Polly Turner spoke with Kimberly M. Thompson, Sc.D., president of Kid Risk, Inc.; adjunct associate professor of risk analysis and decision science at the Harvard School of Public Health; and author of Risk in Perspective: Insight and Humor in the Age of Risk Management, AORM , 2004, $50.

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