April has been a month of turbulence. Not only in terms of the weather and the ongoing battle to halt the worldwide financial crisis, but also in healthcare terms. Swine flu has taken the world by surprise with cases being confirmed all over the world and headlines on front pages and in the health columns alike. This is a matter of great concern to the world that has led the World Health Organization to raise its alert level for swine flu to Phase 5, meaning a pandemic is "imminent".

Focusing in on the UK health media landscape, Aurora can report a certain level of turmoil in the top 20 chart this month. See for yourself what health topics have been moving and shaking before the emergence of swine flu.

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This month's news agenda covered a plethora of health subjects with obesity taking the top spot, closely followed by news around alcohol abuse/legislation and pregnancy. The April chart presents a number of re-entries for familiar issues, such as depression and anxiety, smoking-related issues and heart attack, as well as health topics that have only occasionally been in the chart before, such as HIV/Aids and skin conditions. Migraine made its debut, causing headaches to pharmaceutical companies in terms of decreasing sales figures. The most noticeable changes, however, have to be the striking journey of stroke-related issues from last month's 20th position into rank 5 this month as well as the downfall of general cancer news from number one spot to 17th position.

Let's have a closer look at some of April's most written about health topics:

Obesity. This month, news around obesity issues ballooned to a degree that the subject made its way into top spot in the chart. News coverage was multifaceted: An article in the Daily Express covered the introduction of alternative sports, such as cheerleading, skateboarding and country dancing to turn around children's attitudes towards sports lessons. However, this newfound enthusiasm was not reflected in children's obesity rates, according to a report in The Guardian.
The Guardian was also the messenger for another story reporting NHS staff to be the target of a new government driven anti-obesity campaign. Midwives, school nurses and health visitors in advisory positions to children and families are being equipped with diet and exercise programmes to help address the nation's public health issue. A different approach to tackle obesity and bring health closer to the nation was reported in the Daily Telegraph. Everyone aged between 40 and 74 will be called to see their doctor for a ‘Fat test' as a measure to prescribe weight management and exercise early to overweight people in order to prevent heart disease, diabetes and strokes.

April also saw the launch of Alli, the £50-a-month over-the-counter diet pill manufactured by GSK, being covered in newspapers up and down the country. Alli, also known as orlistat, is said to help people with a BMI of 28 and over to shed extra pounds if they are already committed to a healthy diet and regular exercise. Following the launch, experts raised concerns that the cure for obesity will ‘never be found in a wonder drug.' Alli's impact on adult obesity figures remains to be seen. 

Contraception. April featured another highlight in relation to contraception: Bayer Schering Pharma launched the first ever television advert in Britain for the morning after pill. The Daily Mirror reported a mixed reception towards the post-watershed screening of Levonelle One Step among the public. Bayer Schering Pharma commented: ‘Although most women try to avoid contraception mishaps, accidents happen. If regular contraception fails, women need to know emergency options are available and where advice can be sought.' This, however, led Most Rev Vincent Nicholls, the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, to respond that abortion should not be advertised "alongside a packet of crisps'.

Depression/anxiety. Britain seems to have become a more fearful nation with rising levels of anxiety and depression, according to a survey by the Mental Health Foundation published in The Independent and other national newspapers. The situation is fuelled by and fuelling the economic crisis by undermining confidence as people see the world to be a more frightening place than a year ago. Later this month The Daily Telegraph reported further gloomy news in the shape of survey results by charity Depression Alliance. This brought to light that 75% of people have suffered from depression and anxiety, yet 10% of those would not approach their GP for help due to fears that they would be given few options for treatment.

And finally, in order to get spirits up again we made a note of a story in The Daily Telegraph reporting on research that found chocolate to improve the brain's ability to do maths. A study by Northumbria University discovered that people given large amounts of flavanols, a compound found in chocolate, were better at mental arithmetic, felt less tired or mentally drained. This was good news to all of us at Aurora until those more cynical among us wondered if this wasn't just timed a little too well for Easter. Still, we happily fell for it and consumed eggs galore...

So, what has been revving up the news in April? Let's take a look at the Aurora rev-counter, which aims to provide a snapshot of what's driving the health news each month:

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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 +44 (0) 20 7424 7940.

The top 20 chart provides our interpretative snapshot of health stories in the national press and is based upon a quantitative process. Analysis based on news from the 26 March 2009 to 25 April 2009.

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