Age under-representation in sensationalist breast cancer media: relationship to biased risk estimates and elevated concern.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to sensationalist breast cancer media has been associated with biased risk estimation and elevated concern among young women, which undermines preventive behaviors. This phenomenon may have never been so consequential, given the recent growing incidence of breast cancer - and its typically aggressive nature - among young females. This experimental study focused on one of the aspects frequently present in sensationalist breast cancer media: the under-representation of age. METHODS: Two hundred and sixteen young Norwegian women (i.e. aged < 40 years) were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions, wherein they read a narrative resembling the breast cancer stories typically found in the mass/social media. This narrative either featured a 30- or 65-year-old breast cancer patient, either without (conditions 1 and 2) or with (conditions 3 and 4) an accompanying photograph of the patient. RESULTS: Participants exposed to information about a 30-year-old woman reported higher levels of negative affect and fear of breast cancer than those exposed to information about a 65-year-old woman, particularly when a photograph was included. Further, negative affect and fear of breast cancer fully mediated associations between exposure to narratives and biased risk estimation. CONCLUSIONS: The under-representation of age in breast cancer media contributes to heightened alarm and misconception about breast cancer among young women. Implications for prevention and actionable recommendations for media professionals are discussed. PLAIN LANGUAGE ABSTRACT: This study examined how breast cancer media affect young women. Two hundred sixteen Norwegian women under 40 were split into four groups, in which they read a story featuring either a 30- or 65-year-old woman with breast cancer, with or without an accompanying photo of this woman. Women who read about a 30-year-old, especially with a photo, reported stronger fear and negative emotions. These reactions led them to overestimate their own risk of breast cancer. The findings suggest that stories focusing on younger patients may create unnecessary fear and distort risk perceptions.