Media and Men Issues: Impotence and Prostate Cancer

August 2nd, 2008 |

The role of media in increasing awareness of impotence and other men’s health issues is significant because it communicates to men worldwide that their erection problems or bodily pains could be a non-isolated case. Men are proud creatures, and their roles in society have added to their self esteem. Being the family’s provider and the leader in a relationship has made men more wary to talk about weaknesses with others, much less sexual disorders.

One case study of information dissemination through media aimed to explore the popular press coverage of two men’s health issues, prostate cancer and impotence, in four magazines with large male readerships. The four magazines included in the study were Gentleman’s Quarterly, Esquire, Men’s Health and Ebony, published between 1991 and 2000. Content was compared between the first half and the second half of the decade, which highlighted a cancer public education campaign, the release of the impotence drug, Viagra (sildenafil citrate), and the surge in magazine advertising revenue from drug companies. During the time when rumors of a drug that increased libido surfaced, the media zeroed in on the worldwide clamor for this drug’s FDA approval. There is no denying that the need for Viagra is there.

Results of the case study showed that the four magazines ran more articles on prostate cancer and impotence after 1995; and the coverage was usually presented in an informational manner; content provided information on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the diseases. Men wrote most of the stories. Viagra is still a relatively new drug, and its long term effects on men are still being observed. The arrival and subsequent increase in the demand for Viagra alternatives, cheap Viagra and herbal Viagra indicate how the public can identify sildenafil viagra’s main disadvantages: side effects and expensive price.

References
International Journal of Men’s Health, 2005, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 171-184