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Table 3 Frequency of media items with health focus and mention of specific health hazardsa

From: The potential human health hazard of nitrates in drinking water: a media discourse analysis in a high-income country

Year

Total # media items

# with health focusc (% of total media items)

# with health focus that mention colorectal cancer (% of total media items)

# with health focus that mention methemo-globinemia (% of total media items)

# with health focus that mention preterm birth, low birth weight, or other adverse birth outcomes (% of total media items)

# with health focus that mention other potential health hazardsd (% of total media items)

2017b

108

12 (11.1)

0

6 (5.6)

0

1 (0.9)

2018

47

7 (14.9)

2 (4.3)

1 (2.1)

0

0

2019

60

16 (26.7)

10 (16.7)

2 (3.3)

1 (1.7)

0

2020

20

7 (35.0)

3 (15.0)

1 (5.0)

0

0

2021

82

42 (51.2)

29 (35.4)

10 (12.2)

11 (13.4)

4 (4.9)

Total

317

84 (26.5)

44 (13.9)

20 (6.3)

12 (3.8)

5 (1.6)

  1. aMedia items can mention multiple health hazards or be health-focused but not specify a health hazard related to nitrates in water, therefore the sum of media items by specific health condition won’t necessarily equal the total number of health-focused media items
  2. bIncludes 3 items for the period 17–31 December 2016
  3. cIncludes items coded as either health focused or as having both a health and environmental focus
  4. dIncludes other cancers or unspecified forms of cancer