Smoking in Contemporary American Cinema

Omidvari, Karan; Lessnau, Klaus; Kim, Jeannie; Mercante, Donald E.; Weinacker, Ann; Mason, Carol A.

doi:10.1378/chest.128.2.746

Cited by 15 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Coding the occurrence of any behaviour in films is difficult and there is no standardised method; we used an approach that has been widely used in film analysis,19 21 23 27 is reliable,19 23 27 and has been validated as a measure to detect relative changes in levels of behaviour 34. The 5 min interval method we used was the same as used by several other researchers,19 23 27 35 though other approaches, such as coding scene changes as separate incidents with a 5 min interval approach,21 or using 1 min intervals18 or separate scenes to define intervals20 26 or methods of continuous measurement,22 24 25 have been described. Like Everett et al 23 we divided the number of 5 min intervals by the length of the film to take into consideration the differences in film lengths.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, ours is the first study to look at trends over time in appearances, including a wide range of tobacco paraphernalia and inference, and specific brand appearances, in the films most popular with UK audiences. Glantz et al 35 limited their definition of ‘tobacco usage’ to include only smoking or the appearance of ashtrays or advertisements, and Omidvari et al 22 only actual smoking. Escamilla et al 27 included other paraphernalia (eg, cigarettes), merchandise and advertising in their investigations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tobacco and tobacco branding in films most popular in the UK from 1989 to 2008

Lyons

McNeill

Chen

et al. 2010

Thorax

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Background Tobacco promotion is now tightly restricted in the UK and many other countries, but tobacco imagery including brand appearances in the media remain potentially powerful drivers of smoking uptake among children and young people. The extent to which tobacco imagery and specific products have appeared in the most popular films viewed in the UK over 20 years has been measured, in relation to year of release, the age certification allocated to the film by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), country of origin and other characteristics. Methods Occurrence of tobacco intervals (tobacco use, implied use or appearance of smoking paraphernalia) and brand appearances were measured by 5 min interval coding in the 15 most commercially successful films in the UK each year from 1989 to 2008. Results Tobacco intervals occurred in 70% of all films. Over half (56%) of those that contained tobacco intervals were rated by the BBFC as suitable for viewing by children aged <15, and 92% for people aged <18. Tobacco interval appearances fell by w80% over the study period, but persisted in films in all BBFC categories. Brand appearances were nearly twice as likely to occur in films originating wholly or in part from the UK (UK films). Specific brands, particularly Marlboro and Silk Cut, appeared in 9% of all films, and most brand appearances (39%) were in films with BBFC 15 classification. Conclusions Tobacco imagery in the most popular films shown in the UK has declined substantially over the past 20 years but continues to occur, particularly in UK films, and predominantly in films categorised as suitable for viewing by children and young people. Specific brand appearances are now rare but occur repeatedly in some films. The BBFC is not currently protecting children and young people from exposure to tobacco imagery in film.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tobacco and tobacco branding in films most popular in the UK from 1989 to 2008

Lyons

McNeill

Chen

et al. 2010

Thorax

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“…16 The overall prevalence of smoking among major characters in movies was close to the levels observed in the general population (ϳ25% in the 1990s). 19,23,24 …”

Section: Content Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Smoking in the Movies Increases Adolescent Smoking: A Review

2005

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Objective. Despite voluntary restrictions prohibiting direct and indirect cigarette marketing to youth and paid product placement, tobacco use remains prevalent in movies. This article presents a systematic review of the evidence on the nature and effect of smoking in the movies on adolescents (and others). Methodology. We performed a comprehensive literature review. Results. We identified 40 studies. Smoking in the movies decreased from 1950 to ∼1990 and then increased rapidly. In 2002, smoking in movies was as common as it was in 1950. Movies rarely depict the negative health outcomes associated with smoking and contribute to increased perceptions of smoking prevalence and the benefits of smoking. Movie smoking is presented as adult behavior. Exposure to movie smoking makes viewers' attitudes and beliefs about smoking and smokers more favorable and has a dose-response relationship with adolescent smoking behavior. Parental restrictions on R-rated movies significantly reduces youth exposure to movie smoking and subsequent smoking uptake. Beginning in 2002, the total amount of smoking in movies was greater in youth-rated (G/PG/PG-13) films than adult-rated (R) films, significantly increasing adolescent exposure to movie smoking. Viewing antismoking advertisements before viewing movie smoking seems to blunt the stimulating effects of movie smoking on adolescent smoking. Conclusions. Strong empirical evidence indicates that smoking in movies increases adolescent smoking initiation. Amending the movie-rating system to rate movies containing smoking as “R” should reduce adolescent exposure to smoking and subsequent smoking.

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“…The published content analyses agree on multiple points: smoking is depicted in most movies [8][9][10][11][12][13][14] ; movie smoking increases as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rating increases from G to R 8,13,14 ; movie smoking rarely is associated with negative health outcomes 8,9,11,14 ; and movie characters who smoke are more affluent than the typical US smoker. 8,11 Studies that report the prevalence of character smoking concur that 20% to 25% of characters in popular contemporary movies smoke 12,15,16 and that smoking rates are higher among male characters. One area that has been less thoroughly assessed is how much of the smoking in movies actually reaches adolescents.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%