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Content analysis of prime-time television coverage of physical activity, 1970-2001.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine how major nightly television networks reported on the health benefits of physical activity. METHODS: A retrospective content analysis of physical activity coverage on four major nightly television networks from 1970 to 2001 was performed. The Vanderbilt Television News Archives were searched for keywords "physical activity," "physical fitness," and "exercise." RESULTS: During the 31-year time period, 111 non-overlapping reports aired on all networks combined. The link between physical activity and health was reported in 53 (47.7%) articles, with general health (n =16, 14.4%) and heart disease (n =12, 12.6%) cited most frequently. Just three broadcasts related to the Surgeon's General Report on Physical Activity and Health were aired following its publication in 1996. CONCLUSIONS: Although the protective health benefits of physical activity are well established, physical activity received a modest amount of television coverage from 1970 through 2001.

Analysis of Variance↗

A media literacy nutrition education curriculum for head start parents about the effects of television advertising on their children's food requests.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether a media literacy nutrition education curriculum about the effects of television advertising on children's food choices influenced the behavior, attitudes, and knowledge of Head Start parents. SUBJECTS: Participants were a convenience sample of 35 parents from Head Start programs. DESIGN: This study used a pretest-posttest, comparison condition-intervention condition design. INTERVENTION: The 35 parents participated in both a four-week food safety curriculum (to serve as an educational placebo, comparison condition) that was followed immediately by a four-week media literacy nutrition education curriculum (intervention condition). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Evaluation measures included parents' understanding of the persuasive techniques of commercials; ability to distinguish between truths and claims in advertising; and outcome expectations, values, self-efficacy, and behaviors in relation to talking about television advertisements with children while co-viewing or in response to purchase requests in the grocery store. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Paired t tests, analysis of covariance, and chi(2) analyses were used. RESULTS: The media literacy nutrition education intervention curriculum had significant effects in terms of Head Start parents' understanding television advertising (P<.001), attitudes about television advertisements (P<.001), outcome expectations (P<.05), values (P<.01), self-efficacy (P<.001), and TV mediation behaviors (P<.001), and understanding of, and ability to read, food labels (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS/APPLICATIONS: Results suggest that a media literacy nutrition education curriculum can be easily conducted by dietitians. Dietitians can modify the curriculum to teach parents how to critically analyze many other forms of media (supermarket magazines, brochures, newspapers, Web sites) that sell nutrition misinformation to the public.

Adult↗

Time trends and demographic differences in youth exposure to alcohol advertising on television.

OBJECTIVE: To examine trends in youth exposure to alcohol advertising on television across different demographic groups. METHODS: We used television ratings data on alcohol advertisements to examine trends in exposure between September 1998 and February 2002. Further, we explored the differences in exposure across demographic groups by examining group-level alcohol ad exposure across specific networks, program types, and times of day. RESULTS: We found that boys were more exposed than girls and African-Americans are more exposed than whites. Moreover, the race differential appeared to be increasing over time, whereas the gender differential appeared to increase with age. Differences in viewing patterns across race and gender contributed to the observed differences in exposure to alcohol advertising on television. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide guidance in identifying comparative vulnerabilities in exposure to alcohol advertising on television, and can aid in the development of strategies to inoculate youth against those vulnerabilities.

Adolescent↗

Television health promotion in four countries.

OBJECTIVE: The research plan was to conduct a comparative, longitudinal field experiment in Russia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland to evaluate the effect of a nutritional and general health promotion television series. The series addressed four health topics: a healthy diet, avoidance of tobacco use and alcohol abuse, and enhanced physical activity. METHODS: Because of different infrastructure and contingency conditions in the four countries, data collection ranged from group-administered surveys at a central location to individual personal interviews using a quasi-experiment comparing viewers and non-viewers 18 y and older. It occurred between 1996 and 1998. RESULTS: Overall, the television programs were found to provide new, useful, and practical information to viewers. Most (53.4% to 64.0%) learned useful information. Nearly 33% or more (29.5% to 37.9%) intended to change their lifestyle, with about 25% or more (24.0% to 60.2%) of this group indicating that they would eat more fruits and vegetables. Subsequently, 16.7% to 45.0% reported actual dietary changes consistent with health promotion. CONCLUSIONS: The study addressed diet and nutritional patterns in this region and the underlying social and behavioral factors, topics on which there is very limited information. Methodologic equivalence was sought through consistent measures despite the differential research infrastructure in the four countries. Results indicated that viewers rated the nutritional and general health promotion television programs favorably and that media messages can be used to motivate and educate viewers. More sustained television programs focused on health promotion will benefit audiences in Central and Eastern Europe.

Adult↗

Marketing fat and sugar to children on New Zealand television.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to determine the frequency and content of television food advertisements during children's viewing times on various New Zealand television channels. METHODS: A content analysis was conducted of two free-to-air channels covering a total of 155 h of television time during children's viewing times (n = 858 food advertisements in 2005). Comparisons were made with data from 1997 and data from Australia. RESULTS: Compared to Australian channels, both New Zealand channels (TV3 and TV2) had significantly higher proportions of food advertisements that were classified as being "high in fat and/or sugar" (54% versus 80% and 69%, respectively). Using a more detailed classification system, 70.3% of food advertisements on the New Zealand channels were for foods "counter to improved nutrition" (95% CI: 67.1%, 73.3%) compared to those "favoring improved nutrition" at 5.1% (95% CI: 3.8%, 6.9%). The number of food advertisements per hour was higher in 2005 than in 1997 for the channel (TV2) for which there was time trend data (12.8 versus 8.0 per hour for the afternoon time slot). CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide further evidence that the majority of food advertising on New Zealand television is counter to nutritional guidelines. They suggest the need for further regulatory or other controls.

Advertising↗

[Football, television and emergency services].

BACKGROUND: To know the influence of televised football on the use of emergency department (ED). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We assessed the number, demographic characteristics and acuity of patients attended during the broadcast of football matches played by FC Barcelona during Champions' League (n = 12), and they were compared with days without televised football (n = 12). RESULTS: Televised football was associated with a decrease in visits to ED (-18%; p = 0.002). Such a decrease was observed for all ED units, but only for traumatology unit reached statistical significance (-28%; p = 0.006). Decay of ED visits were mainly due to a decrease of low-acuity consults (-30%; p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: There is a significant decrease on ED use associated with televised football.

Adult↗

Association between child and adolescent television viewing and adult health: a longitudinal birth cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Watching television in childhood and adolescence has been linked to adverse health indicators including obesity, poor fitness, smoking, and raised cholesterol. However, there have been no longitudinal studies of childhood viewing and adult health. We explored these associations in a birth cohort followed up to age 26 years. METHODS: We assessed approximately 1000 unselected individuals born in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1972-73 at regular intervals up to age 26 years. We used regression analysis to investigate the associations between earlier television viewing and body-mass index, cardiorespiratory fitness (maximum aerobic power assessed by a submaximal cycling test), serum cholesterol, smoking status, and blood pressure at age 26 years. FINDINGS: Average weeknight viewing between ages 5 and 15 years was associated with higher body-mass indices (p=0.0013), lower cardiorespiratory fitness (p=0.0003), increased cigarette smoking (p<0.0001), and raised serum cholesterol (p=0.0037). Childhood and adolescent viewing had no significant association with blood pressure. These associations persisted after adjustment for potential confounding factors such as childhood socioeconomic status, body-mass index at age 5 years, parental body-mass index, parental smoking, and physical activity at age 15 years. In 26-year-olds, population-attributable fractions indicate that 17% of overweight, 15% of raised serum cholesterol, 17% of smoking, and 15% of poor fitness can be attributed to watching television for more than 2 h a day during childhood and adolescence. INTERPRETATION: Television viewing in childhood and adolescence is associated with overweight, poor fitness, smoking, and raised cholesterol in adulthood. Excessive viewing might have long-lasting adverse effects on health.

Adolescent↗

Television documentary in New Zealand and the construction of doctors by lower socio-economic groups.

The medical profession remains central to the provision of health care and the treatment of illness within contemporary society. However, the image of doctors and the relationship of the profession with the public is contested. The public persona of doctors has been subjected to re-negotiation in recent years as a result of factors such as health care reforms, the increased autonomy of other health professionals, the rise of the health consumer, and well-publicised cases of medical misadventure. We argue that television viewing is one influential way through which images of medical doctors are socially negotiated. This paper explores the construction of doctors through an analysis of television health documentary coverage and the accounts of lower SES participants in New Zealand. It demonstrates how televised depictions of doctors are integrated into the lifeworlds of viewers. We show that multiple and often contradictory representations of doctors, within both television health coverage and the accounts of our participants, conflate the traditional characterization of the caring professional with more recently established characterizations such as the medical entrepreneur and the bungling quack. The result is a complex and contextually variable image of doctors that embodies tensions surrounding public anxiety over health care reform. Recourse to this more pluralistic image of doctors provides a way for participants to work through the dilemmas posed by reduced access to medical care and the uncertainties of medical treatment, while still maintaining support for universal access to medical care.

Attitude to Health↗

A survey of television meteorologists about their sources for and understanding of pollen counts.

BACKGROUND: Pollen counts are widely used by television stations in news programming but little is known about the sources for and quality of this information. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this investigation was to survey television meteorologists about their sources for pollen counts and to assess their general understanding of these data. METHODS: Sixty-seven meteorologists employed by television stations in the nation's 20 largest Designated Market Areas (DMAs) were contacted by telephone. A brief survey was administered verbally and their responses were recorded. RESULTS: Thirty-seven meteorologists indicated that their station used pollen counts in news programming. Most were aware of their station's source for this information and reported that viewers contacted them about the pollen count. Few meteorologists, however, knew the type of instrument that was used to obtain pollen samples they aired and only 10 selected the correct definition of a pollen count from a list of three choices. CONCLUSIONS: Pollen counts are an important element in television news programming that are poorly understood by the meteorologists who present them to the public. Allergists are encouraged to better educate the personnel at stations to which they supply pollen counts.

Data Collection↗

An evaluation of a television-delivered behavioral weight loss program: are the ratings acceptable?

This experiment evaluated the efficacy of television delivery of a behavioral weight reduction program. Seventy-one overweight adults were randomly assigned to a live-contact weight loss group that was videotaped for viewing by other groups, a live-contact group that was not videotaped, a television-delivered group that observed the videotaped weight loss sessions, or a waiting-list control group. Participants in all 3 treatment groups lost significantly more weight during the 8-week treatment program than those in the waiting-list control group. There was no significant weight loss differences among the 3 treatment groups during the program. These weight changes were maintained at 3-month follow-up. At 15-month follow-up, the television-delivered group and the live-contact group maintained their weight losses, whereas the videotaped group did not. Cost-effectiveness analyses indicated that the television-delivered group received the most cost-effective treatment.

Adult↗

Examining television as an influence on children's health behaviors.

This article is a review of select empirical research studies examining television as an influence on children's health behaviors. The reader is first provided with an overview of the research on the role of television in children's lives. This is followed by an in-depth presentation of the research related to television content and its effect on risk-taking and the role of television commercials and their influence on nutrition and dietary behaviors.

Adolescent↗

Television violence--reactions from physicians, advertisers and the networks.

In response to our call for letters on television violence we received more than 1500 letters from readers of the Journal. Seventy-two per cent of the leading television advertisers responded to a subsequent letter requesting a description of their policies regarding content of the programs they sponsor. Their responses included exculpating factors such as lack of control over programming, the limited amount of available advertising time and censorship. We presented these responses to network representatives. They commented on the difficulty in defining violence, the current decrease in the amount of violence shown and their activities in response to this issue. We maintain that the burden of proof that television violence does not harm lies with those who introduce it into society. Advertisers and networks will respond, we believe, to the problem of television violence if continuous public pressure is maintained.

Advertising↗

Tracking the psychosocial predictors of older individuals' television uses.

The elderly spend considerable amounts of time with mass media, but little is known about the psychology of their viewing habits. This study compared the relative impact of social, structural, and psychosocial variables on the television uses of elderly viewers. The results of a survey of 113 older respondents indicated that psychosocial factors accounted for variance above and beyond that of demographic and situational factors in viewing of television entertainment programs, parasocial programs (e.g., soap operas), as well as in watching of television for companionship purposes. Emotional loneliness and locus of control proved particularly significant predictors of television behavior.

Aged↗

The beliefs adults and children hold about television and video games.

In Phase 1 of this study, we asked 23 parents between the ages of 30 and 52 years and 26 children between the ages of 10 and 19 years to list effects of television and video games on children. A questionnaire was developed using the most frequently given responses (e.g., television influences children's aggressive behavior, verbal abilities, or time with friends). In Phase 2, this questionnaire was administered to different groups of parents and children and a control group of adults without offspring (N = 204) who were asked to rate the influence of each item on the questionnaire. Multivariate analyses of variance indicated that there were similarities and differences among the groups. For example, parents and other adults held similar beliefs about the influence of television, but parents held more positive beliefs about the influence of video games than the other adults. Children held more positive beliefs about the influence of television than parents, but parents and children held similar beliefs about the influence of video games.

Adolescent↗

Children's attitudes toward violence on television.

Children's attitudes toward television violence were studied. A 47-item questionnaire collecting attitudinal and personal information was administered to 316 children aged 11 to 16 years. Cluster analysis was used to split the participants into two groups based on their attitudes toward television violence. A stepwise discriminant function analysis was performed to determine which personal characteristics would predict group membership. The only significant predictor of attitudes toward violence on television was the amount of television watched on school days (p < .05), but we also found that the impact of other predictor variables may have been mediated by this factor.

Adolescent↗

The use of television series in health education.

This paper reviews evidence of the impact which television generally, and drama series in particular, can have on health beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. It describes how a television series, The Family House, was planned in Egypt to disseminate key health messages in an entertaining context. As only a very small number of television series were specifically developed to address health issues, and even fewer were evaluated, this paper presents important new data derived from focus group discussions and survey interviews which help in understanding the potential television series can have for health education. Finally, the paper presents data on the cost-effectiveness of The Family House series.

Adult↗

Consumer health education and the problem of television.

The ubiquity of television and its ability to reach low income people make it an attractive medium for health education. However, its present influence on health is largely negative due to misleading or inaccurate commercials and program material. Efforts to provide accurate health information on television are difficult because of the financial structure of the industry, a mutual suspicion of health and television people toward each other, and possible legal entanglements involving constitutional issues. This paper suggests four ways which health people should consider in seeking to influence commercial television. None involve legislation, none threaten First Amendment guarantees, and none threaten the profit structure of the industry.

Advertising↗

Safety belt use by law enforcement officers on reality television: a missed opportunity for injury prevention?

BACKGROUND: Although safety belt usage rates are increasing nationwide, motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) remain a leading cause of death for young people and are emerging as a leading cause for police officers specifically. A content analysis was performed on the television show, COPS, to determine on-air safety belt usage rates. METHODS: A sample of 63 unique episodes of the reality-based television series, COPS, was viewed during a 4-month period (September 1, 2005 to January 1, 2006). Episodes had original airing dates ranging from 1990 to 2004. Safety belt usage status was determined per police officer per driving scene (N = 250). A driving scene represented a continuous trip (start to finish) with a total on-camera time exceeding 5 seconds. Scenes with indeterminate safety belt status were excluded. High-speed driving, officer gender, and officer race were also recorded. RESULTS: Of the 203 scenes included, 77 (38%) demonstrated safety belt usage. High-speed driving scenes had higher safety belt usage rates compared with low-speed (48% versus 29%, p = 0.005). More contemporary episodes (1999 to 2004) had higher safety belt usage rates as well (51% versus 28%, p = 0.001). Officer gender and race revealed no significant differences in safety belt usage rates (p = 0.930 and p = 0.900, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In this popular, reality-based television series, safety belt usage by police officers is extremely low. These findings suggest the need to increase safety belt usage by police officers, especially those filmed for television.

Accidents, Traffic↗