Examining tobacco use in network and non-network television shows and exposure to youth

Objective: Studies have determined a connection between exposure of media to youth and their likelihood of initiating smoking. This study was designed to evaluate tobacco use prevalence and messages in the widely distributed media outlet of network and non-network television programming. Methods: Nine popular network and non-network television shows were selected for review of tobacco use and its portrayal. Evaluation content coding was conducted utilizing the Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down! methodology that was developed by the American Lung Association of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails to analyze movies and other entertainment industry productions for tobacco content. Each episode was evaluated twice by different reviewers in order to promote inter-rater reliability.

Results: Among selected television shows, a significant amount of tobacco use was represented, with an average of 7.16 incidences of tobacco use per episode. Some shows had significantly higher average rates of tobacco use per episode, such as The Sopranos (41.08 incidences per episode) and The Simpsons (10.48 incidences per episode). The shows with the most tobacco use also had the highest percentage of pro-tobacco messages (The Sopranos 95.8%, The Simpsons 30%). Conclusions: The nine shows that were reviewed had a wide spectrum of tobacco use, and the messages implied ranged from conveying power, wealth, rebellion, sexiness, and being cool. It is evident that tobacco use is still very prevalent among television shows targeted to youth; and further research should be conducted to document the impact of tobacco exposure through media on social and behavioral choices among youth.