Quantification of Health Information Within Parents Magazine

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to quantify the advertisements and information within parenting magazines in order to discover the amount of exposure readers are getting to health related information. This is significant because all audiences are affected by health problems and life choices that influence them. The readers of parenting magazines are actively seeking information that is provided, as well as being exposed to information they may not have anticipated being shown. Therefore, it is important to understand what types of information and in what amount are being provided to the audience. The research project was initiated by conducting a background analysis of how magazine articles and advertisements affect decision-making. Then, based off of circulation statistics, the top selling U.S. parenting magazine, Parents, was surveyed. The number of pages pertaining to health information was calculated to be approximately 11 out of 135 pages per magazine and each magazine includes between 5-13 health related advertisements. The amount of health related information provided within Parents magazine was calculated suggesting a potential vulnerability of the readers to health information within parenting magazines.