An Analysis of Cardiovascular Health Information in Popular Young Women's Magazines: What Messages Are Women Receiving?

Abstract Purpose This study evaluated the consistency of cardiovascular health information in popular women's magazines against the American Heart Association's (AHA) guidelines for nutrition, physical activity, weight management, and smoking. Design Six issues of four publications, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Vogue, and Shape (24 total) were reviewed for inclusion. Setting Content analysis was performed by two independent raters on 162 articles (283 instances of priority-related information). Measures Articles were rated using a questionnaire developed from the AHA-recommended priorities. Analysis Results are presented primarily in qualitative form, supplemented by analyses of variance and correlation significance tests when appropriate. Results Physical activity was the most common topic, followed by nutrition, weight management, and cigarette smoking. Information about weight management was less consistent than other areas. Although publications varied widely in the frequency of coverage, there was no signi...