HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by McGee, R. Articles by Ketchel, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by McGee, R. Articles by Ketchel, J. Related Collections Tobacco use (youth) Advertising and Marketing

Tobacco imagery on New Zealand television 2002–2004

Social and Behavioural Research in Cancer Group, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

Correspondence to:
Rob McGee
Social and Behavioural Research in Cancer Group, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Box 913 Dunedin, New Zealand; rob.mcgee{at}stonebow.otago.ac.nz

ABSTRACT
Considerable emphasis has been placed on the importance of tobacco imagery in the movies as one of the "drivers" of smoking among young people. Findings are presented from a content analysis of 98 hours of prime-time programming on New Zealand television 2004, identifying 152 scenes with tobacco imagery, and selected characteristics of those scenes. About one in four programmes contained tobacco imagery, most of which might be regarded as "neutral or positive". This amounted to about two scenes containing such imagery for every hour of programming. A comparison with our earlier content analysis of programming in 2002 indicated little change in the level of tobacco imagery. The effect of this imagery in contributing to young viewers taking up smoking, and sustaining the addiction among those already smoking, deserves more research attention.

Keywords: smoking; television; adolescents