Sensationalism seems to be the predominant criterion in certain media to decide whether to publish a news story, or to choose the way in which it is done, even when the information comes from the field of medicine.
I reproduce a headline that appeared on the website of a well-known European newspaper, which has a large circulation, on April 3, 2008: “Perfect intercourse lasts between 7 and 13 minutes”. Surely that will attract the attention of the public.
In this case, the report made by the Journal of Sexual Medicine was taken as a source, based on research carried out among the members of the Society for Sex Research and Therapy in the United States and Canada. How many went to this journalistic work to self-evaluate on the sexual level? It is not surprising that many read it in search of a reference to assess their performance in intercourse. Woe to those who did not reach 7 minutes!
The news began as follows: “13, the number of bad luck par excellence, the one that some people do not even dare to name out of pure superstition, acquires a much more positive meaning in the sexual field. This is how long perfect intercourse should last, according to a group of American sexologists.”
Too blunt! And what a way to force the relationship between a superstition and the result of academic research. Of course, a clever and informed reader does not care if it is not within the “norm” proclaimed in the aforementioned headline. It has been said, and it has been repeated, that in matters of sex, needs, behaviors, levels of satisfaction and their appreciation are very variable and individual. That has also been investigated and published.
But the matter does not stop there. The same study made headlines on June 30, 2010, two years later, in a newspaper in a Latin American country. Here’s the headline: “The best sex only lasts ten minutes.” Here is the first paragraph: “It could be the million-dollar question. Or rather, the answer in which millions will be measured to know if they are going slowly, fast or at cruising speed. How long does perfect sex last?” With this comment I do not intend to evaluate the research that served as the basis for these press reports.
I simply call attention to what the media can do with the handling and treatment of scientific information which, taking into account its scope, can negatively affect a large number of people. For example, we would have to see what each person understands by sex and sexual relationship. Many studies have a common conclusion: there is no agreement in the population about what behaviors involve having sex.
One of them involved 204 men and 282 women, aged 18 to 96, who responded to questionnaires on sexual behaviour.
“Understanding the meaning of the word sex has implications for biomedical research, population sex education, and clinical practice. Researchers, parents, doctors and sex educators should be cautious and not assume that their own concept is the same as that of their children, patients or students when asked about this topic,” commented the authors of the research led by Brandon Hill, from Indiana University, USA, published in the journal “Sexual Health”.
There is no universal agreement as to what behaviors may constitute having sex, and there is a diversity of opinions about the behaviors that constitute having had sexual relations. The vast majority believe that it is if there is penetration, but one in five answers no when ejaculation does not occur, the conclusions of the study point out.
The same is true when conducting clinical trials. Scientists must be extremely cautious in the construction of questions, because failure to do so can lead to biases that distort the results of the work. In this line of thought, I allow myself other comments. The media take the results of medical research and turn them into information for their consumers, most of the time without discriminating on the research quality of the work.
Sex is one of the topics that most attracts people’s attention. The number of scientific articles published on sex and sexuality is significant, but not all studies are carried out with the methodology required to consider their results valid and conclusive, let alone generalize them to any context.
Another example, another headline: “60% of women suffer from some form of sexual dysfunction”, this headline appeared in another influential newspaper in Europe. The news clarifies: “60% of women suffer from some type of sexual dysfunction throughout their lives, compared to 40% of men, as explained by the president of the Association for Research on Sexual Dysfunctions in Primary Care, Lorenzo Guirao, in relation to several studies presented during the XII World Congress on Menopause that is being held these days in Madrid”.
“60 percent of women suffer from some type of sexual dysfunction” does not mean the same thing as “60 percent of women suffer from some type of sexual dysfunction throughout their lives.” The headline is chaotic, alarming, the word “suffers” means something maintained, and obviously does not correspond to the specialist’s statement. But an alarm is always eye-catching, and it is precisely about attracting attention.
“Three out of ten women do not have orgasms and resign themselves,” a headline found on the website of a newspaper in another country. The information expanded: “The data comes from a study carried out by the Durand hospital among almost 400 cases. Specialists say that it threatens the stability of the couple, and recommend making a consultation to reverse it.” This generalization of “the lack of orgasms with resignation”, in 3 out of 10, is not valid for the mere fact of interviewing almost 400 representatives of the female sex. Are these “almost 400 women” the universe or the universe?
In any case, it is a small number of women included, and perhaps, it was not chosen by a rigorous method. The foundations of this work are not clear, but the way it was disseminated made it conclusive for all readers, without making any discernment.
I have not tried, I repeat, to make an analysis of medical research, that would require a more detailed examination. I believe that a considerable number of them are carried out with scientific rigor and honesty, so they contribute to the knowledge of health problems and in this way considerable advances have been made in this field. I have questioned how sources are chosen and medical information is handled in some media, especially when it comes to the issue of sex.
It is good to know how to discern between the serious and the speculative. In many medical news in general, and about sex in particular, not everything is clear or well focused, which leads to confusion. I have shared some to warn of the care and responsibility that those who work in the area of medical communication must have, and also to warn the reading public so that they do not allow themselves to be passed “cat for hare”.
By: Israel Manuel Fagundo Pino/ Translated by Radio Angulo
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