Welcome to the Great British Summer! Strawberries and cream at Wimbledon, a relaxing picnic in the park or even the prospect of a beach holiday somewhere far away is currently on our minds…

Despite all this, health issues continue to feed the media and demand column inches. No matter what the season, Aurora keeps its collective finger on the media pulse to ensure we understand the healthcare media environment when developing communication programmes and know which journalists said what and when, as well as what shaped their views. Below we present you with what has made news in the UK national press during the month of June.

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This month has gone through a bit of a shake-up with lots of health topics climbing up the chart accompanied by numerous re-entries. Nutrition has regained the number one spot, closely followed by cancer which, in past months, untypically settled in the middle of the chart. It is interesting to see the slight upward movement of obesity and heart disease, whilst exercise and diabetes re-entered the chart. Issues around abortion and MRSA lost the stronghold seen last month.

We now delve deeper into some of June's health news:

Coverage around cancer issues saw a significant jump up the chart during June, with particular focus on the cancer drug ‘top-up' debate. The Sunday Times reported Britain to have among the worst cancer survival rates in Europe with doctors arguing that the Government's policy of denying NHS patients the right to buy the most effective drugs is contributing to that record. Alan Johnson, Health Secretary, commented on the debate: “The Government policy of denying NHS treatment to patients who pay for private medicines is necessary to prevent a two-tier NHS, with those receiving top-up medicines being treated on the same ward as those who must make do with standard health service medicines.” However, a poll commissioned by the Doctors for Reform revealed that only 7% of the public support this policy. After further opposing opinions were voiced by the Royal Society of Medicine, the Royal College of Surgeons as well as the British Medical Association, the Health Secretary announced a review of the controversial 20-year-old policy.

With the arrival of Summer, skin cancer headlines predictably increased. News in The Daily Telegraph and other newspapers highlighted the warning by specialists that wearing flip flops and sandals can put people at risk of developing skin cancer due to the skin being exposed to intense sunlight. Research by the Paediatric and Familial Cancer Research Group published findings that teenagers may be more susceptible than adults to certain types of cancer, including skin cancer.

Whilst Alzheimer's disease has ensured its consistent appearance in the chart for the last few months, an interest in the broader issue, dementia, has developed among the media and has made headlines as a public health issue. The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Express reported an estimated 60% increase in the prevalence of dementia by 2026, according to the King's Fund think tank. A study disclosed that dementia is thought to strike down almost a million people in England with estimated associated economic costs of £35 billion per year. This trend was supported by news in a number of papers featuring a group of leading scientists from King's College, London, who warned the NHS is at risk of collapsing due to the fast-rising number of patients with dementia. News in The Sunday Telegraph highlighted the launch of a five-year plan to act on the growing problem by providing family doctors and care home staff with extra training to tackle dementia. The Government strategy not only aims to speed up diagnosis and detect early signs, but also focuses on the condition not being dismissed as simply a consequence of old age.

Nutrition and diet issues remained stable on the health media agenda and exercise jumped into the number five spot as a re-entry. Among other news, coverage looked at the link between certain foods and their benefits in preventing and fighting diseases, in particular cancer and diabetes. The Daily Telegraph reported that eating sun-dried tomatoes may help to protect men from prostate cancer, whereas The Independent highlighted the strong protection against diabetes gained by following the Mediterranean diet. Further north, the Scottish government grabbed headlines in The Times with its ‘Take Life On' campaign, a £500,000 initiative, backed by television, radio and billboard advertising, that assumes Scots will not ditch their fat, sugar and salt-laden diet and instead recommends eating lower-fat alternatives that are less damaging to health. This campaign signals a radical shift in government policy from encouraging Scots to avoid junk food to a harm-reduction strategy. The Financial Times covered news by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) saying that the business case for encouraging employees to take more exercise is becoming increasingly compelling. In a drive to make Britain healthier and more successful in international competitions, Lord Coe, chairman of the London 2012 Olympic committee, argued that sport can help prevent some of the problems plaguing the NHS and lobbied for a share of the Health Secretary's £70 million anti-obesity budget.

Headlines around dental issues in many newspapers saw the topic bearing its teeth and re-entering the chart after a long period of absence. According to official figures from the NHS Information Centre, following the implementation of the Government's new dental contract, aiming to increase access and simplify charges, far fewer people saw an NHS dentist. The report showed wide variations across England in who gets access to an NHS dentist, with greater disparities among adults than children.
Newspapers, including The Times, further reported that the number of patients seeing an NHS dentist 'had been falling consistently over the past few years' leading to irregular check-ups and potential health problems. The British Dental Association commented: “The figures offered fresh evidence that ministers had failed to achieve their stated aims with the contract. They have failed to improve access to care for patients and failed to allow dentists to provide the modern, preventative care they want to deliver.”

And finally, after numerous attempts by the Government to get the Great British Public exercising, here comes the solution that may be more entertaining than a sweaty session in the gym - kissing!

The 6th of July is National Kissing Day and presents a great opportunity to get some exercise underway. Here are some convincing health reasons…

Kissing helps to lose weight, a long kiss makes the metabolism burn up sugar faster than usual and burns up to 100 calories per hour. Not only that, but at the same time it increases fitness levels due to the heart pumping and pulse racing leading to the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream - it's a great cardiovascular workout.

Pucker up please….

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Aurora strives to apply quantitative, qualitative and emotional understanding of health issues to client communication programmes. Dove-tailing informed PR activity with the media's appetite enables us to assist clients with communicating their vision.

To find out more, contact Neil Crump or Claire Eldridge on 020 7424 7940. 

The top 20 chart provides our interpretative snap-shot of health stories in the national press and is based upon a quantitative process. Analysis based on news from the 26 May to 25 June 2008.