Who is Responsible? Attribution of Responsibility in the Context of Dementia: A Content-Analysis of Framing in Media Coverage.

Dementia is currently one of the most significant public health challenges from a medical as well as a societal perspective. The number of people living with dementia is increasing, and there is conflicting evidence in terms of preventive measures and risk factors. The available therapies can slow down but neither stop nor reverse the condition. Educating the public about these circumstances is thus of utmost relevance. As the mass media are a major source of health-related information, this study uses a quantitative content analysis to examine the extent to which responsibility framing occurs concerning risk and protection factors for dementia. Besides the established levels of individual and society, this study considers the level "social network" as an independent level to account for the supporting role of relatives and friends in the care of people living with dementia. The results show that protection factors for dementia are reported more frequently than the risk factors of the condition. Further, attribution of responsibility for risk factors tended to be at the individual level, while protection was the responsibility of society and the social network.