CONTENT-ANALYSIS REEXAMINED - A RELEVANT RESEARCH METHOD FOR HEALTH-EDUCATION

Content analysis is a research method particularly popular in communic ation and behavioral sciences primarily as a quantitative tool. Recent ly, health education researchers have applied this method to examine t rends and patterns of coverage, content of messages on health issues a nd concerns as mirrored in the media and other educational materials, and have explored latent themes and other finer substances. This paper provides an overview of the origin, purposes, definitions, and critic al methodological issues and reexamines the potential of content analy sis as a qualitative method in combination with its established quanti tative approach to the health education researchers.