Research Canada Looks at Science and Media



Yesterday, I blogged about how the Australian TV-media provides a rather nutrition-focused view of the obesity epidemic.

This raises the issue of how public media, especially in Canada, actually reports on science, especially obesity.

Those of you interested in this topic may wish to look at the just released report on Research Canada’s first Media Science Forum, Communicating Health Research in an Era of Headline News, which examined how best to communicate research findings and research issues to Canadians, elected officials and other stakeholders.

One full session was devoted to media discussion of obesity – the event was strongly supported by the Canadian Obesity Network.

The full report is available here.

A webcast of the event is available here.

Diane Finegood (picture), Director of CIHR-INMD summed the key issues around obesity as follows:

There are barriers to really getting the change and momentum for change, as the public still sees obesity as a personal responsibility. In reality, it is a mix of societal and systemic issues. There will be no policy changes without societal demand. Scientists need to work together with the media to create this.

I have little to add.

AMS
Edmonton, Alberta