Population-Based Assessment of Exposure to Risk Behaviors in Motion Pictures

Sargent, James D.; Worth, Keilah A.; Beach, Michael L.; Gerrard, Meg; Heatherton, Todd F.

doi:10.1080/19312450802063404

Cited by 75 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…ALSPAC data are prospective and include a comprehensive set of descriptors associated with adolescent alcohol use. We also used a well-validated measure of AUF 18 and considered the effects of confounding variables from early on in life that have not been used in similar published studies.…”

Section: Additional Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Alcohol Use in Films and Adolescent Alcohol Use

2015

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OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether exposure to alcohol use in films (AUFs) is associated with early alcohol use, binge drinking, and alcohol-related problems in British adolescents.METHODS: Cross-sectional study with 5163 15-year-olds from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children in the United Kingdom. We measured adolescent exposure to AUFs, age at onset of alcohol use, and binge-drinking behavior. We adjusted for early childhood social, family and behavioral factors, adolescent tobacco use, and peer drinking. RESULTS:After adjustment, adolescents with the highest exposure to AUFs were 1.2 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-1.3) times more likely to have tried alcohol compared with those least exposed and 1.7 (95% CI: 1.5-2.0) times more likely to binge drink. They were 2.4 (95% CI: 1.9-3.1) times more likely to drink weekly and 2.0 (95% CI: 1.7-2.4) times more likely to have alcohol-related problems than those least exposed.CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to AUFs is associated with higher risk of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems in UK adolescents. Our findings provide evidence to support the argument that a review of film-rating categories and alcohol ratings for all films may help reduce problemrelated alcohol consumption in young people. WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT:Exposure to risky behavior in the media is associated with increased risky behavior during adolescence. To date, published studies have not adjusted results for early childhood confounders in this literature. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:Our findings confirm associations between adolescent alcohol use in the United Kingdom and exposure to alcohol use in films consistent with other global studies, even after controlling for early childhood confounding influences. Dr Waylen designed the study and drafted the initial manuscript; Dr Leary carried out the analyses and reviewed and revised the manuscript; Dr Ness conceptualized the study within this UK cohort and reviewed and revised the manuscript; Dr Sargent conceptualized the study and critically reviewed the manuscript; and all authors approved the final manuscript as submitted.This publication is the work of the authors, and Dr Waylen will serve as guarantor for the contents of this article. Scotland) and concluded that, even after adjustment for a range of contemporaneous confounders, exposure to AUF was associated with an increased risk of trying alcohol and binge drinking. 15 Neither these nor any of the other previously published studies has adjusted for the many early childhood exposures and characteristics that might affect life course trajectories and confound the movie alcohol exposure-youth alcohol consumption association. We used data collected prospectively during pre-and postnatal and early childhood assessments from a large UK cohort, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) to examine associations between exposure to AUF and adolescent alcohol use at 15 years after adjusting for early childhood confounding influences. METHODSALSPAC is a prospective st...

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Section: Additional Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This method is described in detail elsewhere. 18 In the current study, AUF was total exposure categorized into quartiles (#27 minutes, 28-44 minutes, 45-63 minutes, $64 minutes). …”

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confidence: 99%

Alcohol Use in Films and Adolescent Alcohol Use

2015

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“…This is one aspect that makes the approach particularly suited to communication research--communication scholars are adept at identifying, measuring and connecting individual level and large-scale behaviors. For example, methods developed to indirectly assess exposure to media smoking and drinking (Sargent, Worth, Beach, Gerrard, & Heatherton, 2008) could be combined with neural data specified as either a mediator or moderator of key behavioral outcomes of interest (e.g., smoking initiation). Thoughtful selection of subsets of participants in the context of related larger-scale representative studies can also maximize the value of this type of work to both communication science and neuroscience.…”

Section: Specifying Region(s) Of Interest (Rois)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural Prediction of Communication-Relevant Outcomes

Cascio

Coronel

2015

Communication Methods and Measures

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Understanding and predicting the mechanisms and consequences of effective communication may be greatly advanced by leveraging knowledge from social and cognitive neuroscience research. We build on prior brain research that mapped mental processes, and show that information gained from neuroimaging can predict variation in communication outcomes over and above that associated with self-report. We further discuss how neural measures can complement physiological and other implicit measures. The brain-as-predictor approach can (1) allow researchers to predict individual and population level outcomes of exposure to communication stimuli with greater accuracy and (2) provide a better understanding of the mental processes underlying behaviors relevant to communication research. In this article, we give a detailed description of the brain-aspredictor approach and provide a guide for scholars interested in employing it in their research. We then discuss how the brain-as-predictor approach can be used to provide theoretical insights in communication research. Given its potential for advancing theory and practice, we argue that the brain-as-predictor approach can serve as a valuable addition to the communication science toolbox and provide a brief checklist for authors, reviewers and editors interested in using the approach.

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“…12 The top 100 movies with highest US gross revenues each year were selected for each of the 5 years preceding the baseline survey (1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002), N = 500) and 32 high earners during the first 4 months of 2003. Older movies were included because adolescents often watch these movies on video/DVD.…”

Section: Assessment Of Mse Dosementioning

confidence: 99%

“…We summed the number of smoking occurrences each adolescent had seen from his or her unique list of 50 movies, stratifying counts by rating blocks (G/GP, PG-13 and R categories), and scaling these counts to reflect exposure to that of the full sample of 532 movies, given the adolescent' s reported viewing habits by rating. 12 To limit extreme values and reduce the effect of outliers, MSE measures were Winsorized 14 at the second and 98th percentiles (values more extreme were recoded back to the second or 98th percentile value). To assess equivalent doses of exposure, the response to each increment of 500 movie smoking occurrences was modeled, which would approximate the median overall dose of MSE.…”

Section: Assessment Of Mse Dosementioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Motion Picture Rating on Adolescent Response to Movie Smoking

2012

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WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: The US Surgeon General has determined that the relationship between movie smoking exposure (MSE) and youth smoking is causal; however, it is not known whether movie rating influences how adolescents respond. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:The response to PG-13-rated MSE was indistinguishable from R-rated MSE. An R rating for smoking could reduce smoking onset in the United States by 18% (by eliminating PG-13 MSE), an effect similar to making all parents maximally authoritative in their parenting. abstract OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between movie smoking exposure (MSE) and adolescent smoking according to rating category. METHODS:A total of 6522 US adolescents were enrolled in a longitudinal survey conducted at 8-month intervals; 5503 subjects were followed up at 8 months, 5019 subjects at 16 months, and 4575 subjects at 24 months. MSE was estimated from 532 recent box-office hits, blocked into 3 Motion Picture Association of America rating categories: G/PG, PG-13, and R. A survival model evaluated time to smoking onset. RESULTS:Median MSE in PG-13-rated movies was ∼3 times higher than median MSE from R-rated movies, but their relation with smoking was essentially the same, with adjusted hazard ratios of 1.49 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.23-1.81) and 1.33 (95% CI: 1.23-1.81) for each additional 500 occurrences of MSE respectively. MSE from G/PG-rated movies was small and had no significant relationship with adolescent smoking. Attributable risk estimates showed that adolescent smoking would be reduced by 18% (95% CI: 14-21) if smoking in PG-13-rated movies was reduced to the fifth percentile. In comparison, making all parents maximally authoritative in their parenting would reduce adolescent smoking by 16% (95% CI: 12-19). CONCLUSIONS:The equivalent effect of PG-13-rated and R-rated MSE suggests it is the movie smoking that prompts adolescents to smoke, not other characteristics of R-rated movies or adolescents drawn to them. An R rating for movie smoking could substantially reduce adolescent smoking by eliminating smoking from PG-13 movies.

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Population-Based Assessment of Exposure to Risk Behaviors in Motion Pictures

Cited by 75 publications

References 20 publications

Alcohol Use in Films and Adolescent Alcohol Use

Alcohol Use in Films and Adolescent Alcohol Use

Neural Prediction of Communication-Relevant Outcomes

Influence of Motion Picture Rating on Adolescent Response to Movie Smoking

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