ABSTRACT

Two-thirds of US adults report hearing news stories about diet and health relationships daily or a few times a week. These stories have often been labeled as conflicting. While public opinion suggests conflicting nutrition messages are widespread, there has been limited empirical research to support this belief. This study examined the prevalence of conflicting information in online New York Times’ news articles discussing published nutrition research between 1996–2016. It also examined the contextual differences that existed between conflicting studies. The final sample included 375 news articles discussing 416 diet and health relationships (228 distinct relationships). The most popular dietary items discussed were alcoholic beverages (n = 51), vitamin D (n = 26), and B vitamins (n = 23). Over the 20-year study period, 12.7% of the 228 diet and health relationships had conflicting reports. Just under three-fourths of the conflicting reports involved changes in study design, 79% involved changes in study population, and 31% involved changes in industry funding. Conflicting nutrition messages can have negative cognitive and behavioral consequences for individuals. To help effectively address conflicting nutrition news coverage, a multi-pronged approach involving journalists, researchers, and news audiences is needed.

摘要

三分之二的美国成年人报告每天或每周几次听到有关饮食与健康关系的新闻报道。这些故事经常被贴上相互矛盾的标签。虽然公众舆论表明相互矛盾的营养信息很普遍，但支持这一信念的实证研究有限。这项研究调查了在线纽约时报中相互矛盾的信息的普遍性讨论 1996 年至 2016 年间发表的营养研究的新闻文章。它还检查了相互矛盾的研究之间存在的背景差异。最终样本包括 375 篇新闻文章，讨论了 416 种饮食和健康关系（228 种不同的关系）。讨论的最受欢迎的饮食项目是酒精饮料 (n = 51)、维生素 D (n = 26) 和 B 族维生素 (n = 23)。在 20 年的研究期间，228 份饮食与健康关系中有 12.7% 的报告相互矛盾。不到四分之三的相互矛盾的报告涉及研究设计的变化，79% 涉及研究人群的变化，31% 涉及行业资金的变化。相互矛盾的营养信息会对个人的认知和行为产生负面影响。为了帮助有效解决相互矛盾的营养新闻报道，