TOBACCO IN MOVIES AND IMPACT ON YOUTH - Smoke Free ...

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Tobacco in Movies & Impact on Youth women, and children in different socioeconomic groups. Many of these strategies circumvent the Indian tobacco advertising ban. 33 Targeting Children: Researchers at Dartmouth Medical School found that 38 percent of adolescents who tried cigarettes did so because they saw smoking in movies, according to a study of 6,522 U.S. kids ages 10 to 14. 34 At least one character in more than two-thirds of animated feature films produced for children over the past 60 years in the United States used tobacco or alcohol with no indication that the practices were unhealthy. Dr. Adam O. Goldstein reported that of the 50 animation movies reviewed 68 percent (or 34 movies), displayed at least one episode of tobacco or alcohol use. Seventy-six characters smoked for a total duration in all films of more than 45 minutes and 63 characters drank alcohol for 27 minutes. He found that good characters consumed the substances as frequently as bad characters did. The feature-length animated films showed cigar and wine consumption most often, but cigarettes, pipes, beer, spirits and champagne were also depicted. 35 It may be mentioned that India hardly produces any animation movies. Most of the animation movies originate from the US and other foreign countries and are dubbed in Hindi or other regional language. The depiction of tobacco and alcohol affect the youngsters and influence their decision to smoke or drink in their future life, the above mention study clearly reported. As cited earlier a relationship of increased risk of smoking initiation with the greatest exposure to movies showing smoking has been clearly established across all racial and ethnic groups. 29 Another study to evaluate the use of tobacco in Japanese cartoon and comic character concluded that young adults, adolescents, and children are frequently exposed to smoking scenes in Japanese cartoons and animations too. The youngsters are likely to identify themselves with characters of the same sex and age; teens with teen smokers in boys’ comics; young male adults with smokers of main characters in the 20s or 30s in youths’ comics; young women with female smokers in women’s comics. This is likely to increase the chances of smoking initiation and an increasing trend of smoking among teens and young women. Comics are a medium with influence over children and adolescents in many Asian countries. Most comics are imported from Japan where comic magazines sell several million copies every week. Popular titles become TV animation series or theatrical animated films. 36 Japanese comics and animation movies are popular and circulations are increasing in many countries including India, this raises serious questions. Targeting Females – a new segment in India: Studies suggest that the tobacco companies specifically position their products to attract female smokers from all segments, strata and age groups of society. The tobacco companies’ communications targeting females is carefully designed for younger women stressing on female camaraderie, self confidence, freedom, and independence; cigarette brands for older women are tailored to address the needs for pleasure, relaxation, social acceptability, and escape from daily stresses. 37 10
Tobacco in Movies & Impact on Youth Smoking is highly prevalent in Hollywood films featuring popular actresses and may influence young audiences for whom movie stars serve as role models 38 and there is enough evidence that smoking by movie stars can play an important role in even encouraging female adolescents to start smoking. 39 Direct brand placement and tobacco product promotion: Values and lifestyles play a central role in the global marketing of tobacco to young adults and tobacco companies are known to create associations between young adult values and tobacco brands. 40 It is now well known that owning tobacco promotional items and being able to recall cigarette advertisements can double the odds that an adolescent will become an established smoker. Movie images associate smoking with celebrities and depict it as an attractive behaviour. 41 Evidence exists that adolescent smoking is partially attributable to aggressive tobacco marketing strategies aimed at youths via popular culture. One such strategy is to ensure that stars smoke in popular movies. Placing products or brand identifiers in movies is recognized as a standard marketing option to advertise and promote product use. 39 above Advertising is generally aimed at creating a "personality" for a product by associating it with favourable social images. A brand’s personality is built with attractive imagery in magazines, newspapers, and at racing events; which is one way to get brands onto the television screen. It affects youth smoking by associating cigarette brands with images of strength and independence (Marlboro), having a good time (Newport), and sexual potency (Kool) among other characteristics that appeal to adolescents. The ads don’t have to depict smoking; for example, ads for Newport (the second most popular brand among adolescents in USA) show young people having a good time together without showing anyone smoking. Youth smoke highly advertised premium brands; the top three brands among adolescents are Marlboro, Newport, and Camel cigarettes (In USA). In addition, adolescents are avid readers of magazines and also spend time searching the Internet. This adds to the impact. Clearly, mass media plays a prominent role in the life of the contemporary adolescent. Adolescents gain information about their world and about smoking by watching celebrity behaviour in the media. A person watching a movie rarely gets the impression as if the smokers are compelled to smoke because of their own addiction. The smokers as shown in the movies are, for the most part, affluent and powerful and, because of their star status, larger than life, in contrast to real-life smokers who are more likely to be poor. Actors smoke in the context of romance, or to appear tough and personify the bad guy or girl, and also to relieve stress—all situations adolescents might aspire to. Actors are increasingly endorsing brands when they smoke on screen, even though paid brand placement was eliminated in USA. 42 Actors who also smoke off-screen are even more tempting branding options for tobacco companies because it is known that quite often on-camera smoking is influenced by actors' off-camera tobacco use 43 and by endorsing such an actor the impact can be doubled. Despite the settlement with the tobacco companies in USA prohibiting brand appearance in movies, the situation did not change overall. Instead of the tobacco 11
Page 1 and 2: A STUDY ON TOBACCO IN MOVIES AND IM
Page 3 and 4: INTRODUCTION Tobacco in Movies & Im
Page 5 and 6: Tobacco in Movies & Impact on Youth
Page 9: Tobacco in Movies & Impact on Youth
Page 15 and 16: The Questions and their rationale T
Page 17 and 18: DATA ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH FINDINGS
Page 19 and 20: 120 100 80 Number of movies 60 40 2
Page 37 and 38: RECOMMENDATIONS In view of the abov
Page 39 and 40: AUTHORS & INVESTIGATORS Tobacco in
Page 41 and 42: 60. Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya 61. Mangal
Page 43 and 44: 27 McCool JP, Cameron LD, Petrie KJ

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