Television Viewing and Self‐Perceived Health, Weight, and Physical Fitness: Evidence for the Cultivation Hypothesis¹

Abstract

Television (TV) often depicts a version of the world that differs from social reality in several ways. The present study examined the relationship between the amount of TV people watch, how important TV is for their entertainment and information‐gathering purposes, and their perceptions of their health, weight, and physical fitness. Regression analyses showed that, after controlling for their actual level of obesity, health perceptions were negatively related to both the amount of time spent watching TV and TV's perceived importance as an entertainment medium, but for women only. In addition, those who watched a lot of TV tended to see themselves as more overweight than did those who watched less TV. The implications of these findings for the cultivation hypothesis, as well as issues of replication, were discussed.

Television viewing and age at smoking initiation: Does a relationship exist between higher levels of television viewing and earlier onset of smoking?

“…Cultivation theory hypothesizes that television viewers gradually adopt the world view of television through decades of exposure to similar clichés (referred to as the mainstream of television). McCreary and Sadava (1999), who applied cultivation theory in a health setting, stated that ''the cultivation hypothesis is concerned directly with the attitudes and belief structures people develop as a result of watching TV.'' In other words, cultivation analysis studies attitudinal change in people as a consequence of television viewing.…”

The Internet and Adolescent Girls’ Weight Satisfaction and Drive for Thinness

“…In addition, adolescent girls report that they feel under greater pressure from the media than do adolescent boys (Ata et al 2007). In support of the general sociocultural model, extensive correlational research has demonstrated links between fashion magazine or television consumption and body dissatisfaction Tiggemann 2003), perceptions of overweight (McCreary and Sadava 1999), and eating disorder symptomatology (Harrison 2000;Stice et al 1994;Thomsen et al 2002). Some studies have found the relationship with television viewing to be limited to particular genres that present thin ideals, notably soap operas and music videos (Borzekowski et al 2000;Hofschire and Greenberg 2002;Tiggemann 2005;Tiggemann and Pickering 1996;Van den Bulck 2000).…”

Media exposure, body dissatisfaction and disordered eating: television and magazines are not the same!

“…On the one hand, some studies have demonstrated media exposure to be positively correlated with body dissatisfaction (Anderson, Huston, Schmitt, Linebarger, & Wright, 2001), perceptions of overweight (McCreary & Sadava, 1999), and eating disorder symptomatology (Harrison, 1997(Harrison, , 2000a(Harrison, , 2000bStice, Schupak-Neuberg, Shaw, & Stein, 1994). Other studies, however, have found no relationship (Botta, 1999;Cusumano & Thompson, 1997), or inconsistent relationships.…”