Background
This study aimed to determine between-country differences and changes over time in the portrayal of youth risk behaviors in films rated for youth in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and the United States.
Methods
Content and ratings were analyzed for 362 films that were popular across all four countries from 2002–2009. Country-specific ratings were classified as either youth or adult, and Generalized Estimating Equations were used to determine between-country differences in the presence of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, sexual content, and violence in youth-rated films. Within-country differences in this content over time were also assessed, comparing films released from 2002–2005 with those released from 2006–2009.
Results
In the US, films rated for youth were less likely to contain all five risk behaviors than in youth-rated films in Argentina, Brazil, and, when the “15 and older” rating was considered a youth rating, in Mexico. All three Latin American countries “downrated” films that received an adult rating in the US. Nevertheless, tobacco and drug use in youth-rated films declined over time in all countries, whereas moderate to extreme alcohol use and violence involving children or youth increased in all countries.
Conclusions
Tobacco and drug use have declined in popular US films, but these behaviors are still prevalent in films rated for youth across the Americas. The apparent success of advocacy efforts to reduce tobacco and other drugs in films suggests that similar efforts be directed to reduce alcohol portrayals.
Este estudo amplia o olhar psicossocial sobre o tabagismo. Descreve um quadro de ocorrências de imagens de produtos de tabaco e de seu consumo em uma amostragem de vinte filmes de longa-metragem brasileiros para exibição comercial. Nos resultados foram observadas imagens com esse conteúdo em metade dos filmes da amostra, e, em 70% daqueles em que ocorreram essas cenas, havia também a exibição relevante de embalagens de produtos ou marcas comerciais. Como conclusão, a utilização da mídia de entretenimento aparece entre os dados pesquisados como importante conteúdo a ser avaliado nos filmes. A presença nas telas, não apenas de imagens de consumo de cigarros e embalagens de produtos, mas também de marcas comerciais, pode contribuir para influenciar crianças e jovens a experimentar cigarros e reforçar o ato de fumar como comportamento normativo ou padrão entre as pessoas.
Book
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