Association between media coverage and prevalence of idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic field in Taiwan.

Environmental research · 2018 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 4898

Study snapshot

PublicationEnvironmental research · 2018

Study typeecological

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF) describes symptoms sufferers attribute to exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). In Taiwan, the prevalence rate of IEI-EMF was 13.3% in 2007, but a survey using the same method found the rate declined to 4.6% in 2012. Because media reports may encourage readers to attribute their symptoms to EMF, the change might be related to media coverage. We searched articles indexed in the largest newspaper database in Taiwan to evaluate the association between media coverage and the prevalence of IEI-EMF. We also assessed the effects of other potential affecting factors. The number of newspaper articles related to EMF and IEI-EMF increased from 2005 to 2007 and then has been decreasing until 2012, which is compatible with the change in the prevalence of IEI-EMF. However, from 2007 to 2012, the other potential affecting factors such as density of mobile phone base stations, number of mobile phone users, total mobile phone calling time, and number of text messages sent through mobile phones all increased in Taiwan. This finding indicated a positive association between media coverage and the prevalence of IEI-EMF in Taiwan, which might also be true in other countries.

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeecological

Effect directionmixed

PopulationTaiwan (general population; prevalence surveys referenced for 2007 and 2012)

Sample sizeNot supplied

Exposure2005–2012 (media coverage trends); IEI-EMF prevalence compared for 2007 vs 2012

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Newspaper articles related to EMF and IEI-EMF increased from 2005 to 2007 and then decreased until 2012, a pattern described as compatible with a decline in IEI-EMF prevalence from 13.3% (2007) to 4.6% (2012). Over 2007–2012, mobile phone-related indicators (base station density, users, calling time, text messages) increased while IEI-EMF prevalence decreased, which the authors interpret as indicating a positive association between media coverage and IEI-EMF prevalence in Taiwan.

Outcomes measured

Prevalence of idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF)
Number of newspaper articles related to EMF and IEI-EMF
Other factors assessed: density of mobile phone base stations, number of mobile phone users, total mobile phone calling time, number of text messages

Limitations

Ecological/associational design; cannot establish causality at the individual level
IEI-EMF prevalence data are from surveys in 2007 and 2012; sample size and details not provided in abstract
Media coverage measured via newspaper database counts; may not capture other media sources or exposure intensity
Potential confounding factors beyond those listed may not be accounted for

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "ecological",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "media coverage related to EMF/IEI-EMF (newspaper articles)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "2005–2012 (media coverage trends); IEI-EMF prevalence compared for 2007 vs 2012"
  },
  "population": "Taiwan (general population; prevalence surveys referenced for 2007 and 2012)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Prevalence of idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF)",
    "Number of newspaper articles related to EMF and IEI-EMF",
    "Other factors assessed: density of mobile phone base stations, number of mobile phone users, total mobile phone calling time, number of text messages"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Newspaper articles related to EMF and IEI-EMF increased from 2005 to 2007 and then decreased until 2012, a pattern described as compatible with a decline in IEI-EMF prevalence from 13.3% (2007) to 4.6% (2012). Over 2007–2012, mobile phone-related indicators (base station density, users, calling time, text messages) increased while IEI-EMF prevalence decreased, which the authors interpret as indicating a positive association between media coverage and IEI-EMF prevalence in Taiwan.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Ecological/associational design; cannot establish causality at the individual level",
    "IEI-EMF prevalence data are from surveys in 2007 and 2012; sample size and details not provided in abstract",
    "Media coverage measured via newspaper database counts; may not capture other media sources or exposure intensity",
    "Potential confounding factors beyond those listed may not be accounted for"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "IEI-EMF",
    "idiopathic environmental intolerance",
    "electromagnetic fields",
    "media coverage",
    "newspaper articles",
    "prevalence",
    "Taiwan",
    "mobile phone base stations"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.2,
      "reason": "Addresses IEI-EMF prevalence and attribution rather than measured EMF exposure; relevant to broader EMF health discourse."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.11.034
PubMed: 29182909

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