Because of the late start to this post, please continue to blog through the weekend and into Moday! Thanks.
Dr. M has asked us to blog on the following:
I may not have emphasized this in class, but the blog topic for this week (posted in announcements) is
1) comment on condom ads from MTV we watched (see comments in announcements)
What is the target audience? which approach do you think is mot effective - with GSPH grad students, with teenagers, with at risk young adults - humor, drama, shock value?
2) comment on Hollywood, entertainment media websites (on class calender under entertainment media
How can mass media be best used for health promotion ? what do you think of the recent trend for roduct placement of cigars in kid's movies ? of higher rates of teen pregnancy found in girls who regularly watch steamy sex shows ?
**P.S. Reminder Please check out Dr. Engleberg's new website, afishinwater.com. We will be the focus group to give him feedback on the site next Monday in class !
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30 comments:
Lona wrote:
I thought the HIV prevention videos were great. I could see how many of them may be offensive to others but I personally think they are very strong. I think that a lot of campaigns are scared to be to edgy maybe due to funding or political reasons. But I think the creative one's are usually the better one's. People have to remember public health professionals are competing with a large number of advertising pros out there. AS far as the websites, I thought they were really interesting. I thought the one about Grey's Anatomy was cool, especially because I really like that show. I think its a great way to reach people and to incorporate good things into television. The USC Annerberg Norman Lear Center was really great. I had no idea something like it exists. I think it is facinating and a great addition to public health, especially because hollywood holds a lot of celebrity power which has the potential to effect a lot of people.
Thanks,
Lona
I think that the PSAs we saw in class were two very interesting examples of different types of ways to appeal to an audience. I personally think that the first example, the every 6 seconds commercial, was more powerful for me. I think that a lot of the 'backlash' (for lack of a better word) from HIV/AIDS prevention done in that late 80's and 90's has created a false sense of security for young, heterosexual , non intravenous drug users in the United States. Today it is important to remind the public that anyone can contract the disease, and by showing young individuals, who are not the typical 'face of HIV/AIDS' but could be you, your co-worker, or friend is a good way to get that message across.
While I personally did not like the second commercial, it definitely was effective in catching my attention. The lack of dialogue really captures you, and makes you curious about what the message is for. The violence at the end, is what I personally had a problem with, however if the creators of the commercial wanted to frame unprotected sex as a type of violence against women, then it definitely succeeded. I would personally just be afraid that too many commercials of that nature would desensitize the audience."
As for the Hollywood media websites, I thought they were extremely interesting and was impressed by the case study on Grey's Anatomy,especially as it is a 'medical drama' With the amount of time people in the United States spend watching entertainment television, I think that it could be a good way to utlize health communication, as you already have a captive audience, further Hollywodd shows have a highly defined target audience, so pairing a public health message to the content of the show would seem to be an effective way to get out a message, especially if the shows target audience was a high risk population as well.
I thought the MTV HIV/condom ads were good. I think the gun HIV campaign was a little too much for me. I don't think HIV should be represented with gun violence or death. The target audience was the general public. I think the condom vs. AIDS campaign would be a great one for everyone because it adds a little bit of comedy and interest.
For the entertainment media websites, I think it had amazing information. I never knew such a thing existed until now. I mean, I knew that the entertainment industry researched for accurate information but I did not know that a center like the Norman Lear Center existed that helped provide this information.
The HIV and condom ads we saw in class were definitely more dramatic than most ads on the subject. They used some unique approaches to get the audience’s attention and make them think; if an ad can grab someone’s attention enough to make them question something, then I think it is a good thing. While I agree that the techniques might not be appropriate or appeal to everyone, I do think that they reach beyond a generic audience and will hopefully have an impact on people that may be harder to reach.
The Norman Lear Center is taking another approach to health promotion that I also see as being successful considering today’s society. People love to watch T.V. are always trying to keep up with the stars lives and fashion, so I think that by putting accurate health messages in the media we are able reach a huge audience that already values the source to a certain degree. People like to relate to the characters in shows and I think that by presenting health information through Hollywood people will be more open to learning about a health topic and doing something about it because is somehow brings it to a more personal level for them. Hollywood already has a lot of power and influence on people and this is one way it can be used for something good.
I found the HIV ads to be very interesting. I thought they could be very effective in getting one's attention. I don't know if I cared for the one with shooting your partner after sex. I think we are at a point were there needs to be shock value for people to understand their risk but adding another problem (gun violence) into the mix might be a bit much. That is just my opinion. I also did not care for the condom and cross video. It made me a little uneasy but it definitely caught my attention. I think out of all the videos the one that I like the most was the first one. People have to realize that HIV can effect anyone and I think this video points that out. I was very familiar with the Kaiser Foundation site and found it to be quite helpful in all types of health information.
I think that the use of edutainment can be a very useful tool. Unfortunately television plays a big part in our society and lot can be and is learned from this outlet and it is not always the most accurate. If we could use this to our advantage and use more programs with health messages it would definitely reach a wide audience.
I really had an interesting time searching for HIV videos. I tried to find different ones that appealed to many different types of people. I also tried to find videos that were "cutting-edge" and really captured people's attention. I was surprised at the different techniques that I found in the videos I searched. There are definitely an abundance of videos out there that appeal to many different types of individuals, which is important with such a wide-spread problem (HIV/STD’s) that affects so may different types of individuals.
As for the entertainment media websites, I thought they were interesting and provided good, important information. I think a lot of people in the entertainment industry fail to realize that people, especially younger audiences are very influenced by what they see on TV and in movies. So, they have to be careful what they expose these younger audiences to.
I thought the HIV videos were VERY powerful and a bit offensive. Were these videos actually aired? I would be surprised to hear if they were considering how the public might feel toward them. However, their purpose was to convey a powerful message, which they definitely did. I especially thought the video with the shootings was best because it was just so true. Exaggerated but true! It did not leave much room to the imagination, which I think was also a good characteristic of these videos.
As for the entertainment and health websites, I found them very interesting. After looking through the USC site, I was so excited to see that something like this existed. I always wondered how TV shows go their information. I think sites such as this one are very important for both entertainment and health because it increases the credibility of both. Especially since our media is so influential, it is important to have the correct information out there.
I must say I was a bit shocked with the HIV videos in class--particularly the "shot after sex" video. Although the message conveyed was strong, the violence was much. I also took notice of the fact that no women pulled the trigger--which may not sit well with some men. Both men AND women transmit HIV and this should be emphasized. We all need to hold ourselves accountable and act responsibly. Furthermore, there is a distinction that needs to be made--intention to point a gun at someone and kill them is far different than the intention in sleeping with someone who has HIV BUT not even know their HIV status. We certainly don’t want to perpetuate gun violence. Nevertheless, that point makes me really stress the importance of awareness campaigns…getting people not only protect themselves (whether by abstinence or condoms), but also protect themselves and others by getting tested. I truly believe we need to see more information about testing for HIV.
Of all the videos, I liked the "faces of HIV" most because it demonstrated the diversity of the disease and the emotion behind those faces said a lot! In addition, the frightening statistic at the end gave the viewer something to think about...every 6 seconds someone is infected with HIV! WOW!
So, despite the different approaches taken in the commercials, I felt both had EXTREMELY important messages. HIV can lead to fatality and it is no joke! Different tactics are used for different populations. The “shot” commercial was on the MTV network, which already has some pretty shocking material. So, whether it is humor (as in the http://www.archimediadesign.com/website/3_animation/COI/COI-12-STIs/12-STIs.html) or fear (as in the videos seen), health messages need to be made!
As for the The Norman Lear Center website, I thought it was really interesting to read on the research being done by Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S). Partnering with the CDC and various organizations, they study the content and impact of TV health storylines on audiences. This is extremely important as the media penetrates many lives. The piece on the fact that Spanish-speaking audiences tune into telenovela storylines with diabetes information caught my eye as we see a true disparity with Latinos and diabetes. With such research we can help shape storylines to raise awareness and literacy about important health topics for different audiences.
The ads shown in class were awesome! They were definitely geared towards a younger audience. I think that HIV and condom ads targeting teens need to be forward and entertaining in order to get their attention, and these were just that. I haven't seen those ads before so assume that they are probably aired in other countries. We are too conservative and censor too much when it comes to pertinent health (and other) issues in the United States, and this does not help get messages out there, especially when it comes to sexual health issues.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out about these groups that work with Hollywood to get out real health messages. So often TV shows communicate false information, or have the potential to provide positive messages, but fail to do so. It is a great idea to use popular TV shows to get out health messages, we should definitely work more towards utilizing these channels for the good! I will be paying more attention now to accuracy of health topics being portrayed on TV.
How can mass media be best used for health promotion? Mass media can best be used for health promotion by tailoring the message and channel to a specific target audience. Different messages are more salient, relevant and meaningful to people based on their demographic information such as age and gender. Likewise the various media channels are frequented by different populations, such as children being more apt to use new media outlets whereas older adults may use television, radio, or print media more often. Messages should be tailored to specific demographic groups and then weaved into the media channels most often used by that group through entertainment media: plot lines, advertisements, webpage displays, search engines, and games. It sounds like common sense however determining the needs, target audience, influencing audience, and best channel pushes us as social scientists to set aside our own preconceived notions of different groups of people and open our minds to what the evidenced-based research is telling us.
I am not surprised by the information on the higher rates of pregnancy among girls who watch steamy sex shows nor the fact that food is the number one item advertised to kids and childhood obesity is their number one health risks. Media messages are powerful, plain and simple. It is up to health professionals to use this powerful outlet to have positive impacts on health behaviors and outcomes.
One last note, I loved the Health, Hollywood, and Society website because it gave resources, tips, and awards to writers who are using their influence to bring awareness to a variety of health issues facing us today.
From reading other class members responses thus far, I realize that I only saw the last and most startling of the HIV commercials. However, I feel as though as offensive as the ad could be to some, it’s the kind of thing that is needed to get young people’s attention. Despite all of the information that is out there on HIV, many people still believe it could not happen to them or that their partner couldn’t possibly have it. Young people need this type of reality check. However, this message is inappropriate for young children therefore making it a difficult judgement call about whether it should be on TV or not.
As others mentioned, it was refreshing to see that there are groups out there to help get accurate health messages inbedded in entertainment arenas. Using entertainment venues to promote health and knowledge is an opportunity that health professionals should work to take advantage of.
I loved the condom ads for MTV. Obviously the target audience is MTVs audience which ranges in age from adolescents/teens to middle age adults. Based on the looks on people's faces and the sounds I heard throughout the classroom during the gunshot add shock value is highly effective with GSPH students and I think that would be true for high risk young adults too. It would surely effect teens too but based on their maturity levels it may be useful to use humor as well. While I can understand why some people might be offended by adds such as the gunshot one I think with epidemics like HIV/AIDS that is sometimes what it takes to bring the reality home. So many of us think we are invisible or not a part of the high risk group even though we may be far closer than we imagine. I think to see change in the world you sometimes have to do radical things and I think this is true for HIV/AIDS campaigns.
The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Norman Lear Center were great websites. Hollywood is another opportunity for Public Health professionals to target a wide range audience for little cost. We all know TV plays a very influential role on peoples belief and knowledge. I think thats especially true for audiences who have no access to education or health information. I thought it was great that the CDC was even offering training to support the use of these messages in Hollywood. This seems especially relevant in a shaky Southern California job market for us in the field. Hollywood is not going broke anytime soon so we might as well use that to our advantage. Not only that it would be an opportunity for us job wise but to help make a difference on that grand of a scale would be so rewarding.
Mass media for health promotion will only work if it is done alongside Public Health professionals and if they seek out Hollywood. This is very important because otherwise things like cigars will continue to appear in cartoons. Health Promotion could even play a role in limiting exposure to violence in media which has become all too prevalent. Its obvious based on things like high pregnancy among teens who watch steamy shows that there is an impressionable audience in mass media but they need to be targeted to improve their health not decrease it.
I found the various MTV condom commercials were striking and played to a variety of audiences. The every-6 second commercial I thought effectively targeted a general audience, providing the strength of testimonial as well as showing the diversity of people who can contract HIV/AIDS. Further, the condom vs. AIDS commercial was humorous and effectively conveyed the message that condoms will keep you protected from AIDS. The commercial portraying violence was shocking and while personally over-the-top I think its impact value will be striking. While showing violence towards women on TV is not something to take lightly, especially with concern that it may increase viewers’ habituation to violence, I think that it really demonstrates that these women are putting themselves into a risky and potentially life threatening situation by not having their partners’ wear condoms. I think that ultimately the message demonstrated the risk of playing “Russian rullet” with your life if you don’t use a condom, and expressly conveyed the message that heterosexual women are at an increased risk for contracting HIV/AIDS. The last commercial with the British actors effectively employed humor, but I thought also demonstrated a good model for how women can be persistent with their partners about wearing a condom. The ultimate end was successful use of a condom even with the guy’s many humorous excuses, highlighting that any excuse to not wear a condom is ungrounded and ridiculous.
I think media websites were great and filled with information that will likely be utilized more effectively by populations watching TV than any other source. TV shows provide models for people with hypothetical problems and demonstrating the ramifications of various responses, good or bad to the ultimate behavior. The Norman Lear Center is an excellent source for Hollywood and it’s exciting to see that such a source exists. At a WPA conference last year Albert Bandura was discussing his expert role in helping TV screenwriters design health promotion episodes that would serve as models for individuals in less industrialized countries. It is wonderful to see that the media is taking a positive role in shaping health behavior by ensuring accurate information is shared, since TV is such a large social influence on our society.
From the websites reviewed, it is clear that mass media plays a huge role in 1) informing the public regarding health-related behaviors, 2) shaping their health behaviors, and 3) influencing what behaviors are important to think about and act on in the first place.
I think the best way to ‘use’ mass media for health promotion purposes is not through specific educational-entertainment ‘strategies’ or ‘programs’. While these have their place, I think a way to have a larger and broader impact is to make a change ‘behind-the-scenes’ in the media business. By targeting the individuals who write and create media entertainment that is disseminated to the masses such as television and movies (producers, directors, screen-play writers, etc.) there is a possibility of positive influence in the work that is subsequently produced. If we can get such individuals to have a greater sense of ‘social responsibility’ regarding health issues and to consider more deeply the impact of their work and the many impressionable individuals it reaches, the quality of information relayed in the media may improve. Engendering this sense of social responsibility may inspire a more conscious inclusion of health promotion efforts in entertainment.
I think another outlet that is in dire need of attention when it comes to health communication in entertainment is music. I am completely for freedom of speech and and artists’ right and duty to share their creative talents. That being said, most lyrics of popular music today contain either sexual innuendo or an out-right discussion of sexual activity without any mention of safe sex practices, consequences, emotional and physical issues, etc. that are related to this health behavior. Another topic in music is alcohol and drugs. I know my 11 year old nephew has known every lyric word-for-word to such popular songs since he was about 6 years old. Although he may not know what the songs are truly discussing yet, he will soon. All the while, these songs inevitably have shaped the way he thinks about relationships, women, and sex. Unfortunately, it may have more of an impact than his school sex education courses or discussion with his parents will. I don’t think it would hurt to have a little ‘education’ for many musicians and song-writers out there to help them understand, if they don’t already, the impact their work has on the health of the public.
The HIV and condom ads we saw in class were very dramatic than most ads. It was good that they used these ads to grab our attention but I agree with others that the that the techniques might not be appropriate or appeal to everyone. I think they should play it safe and have campaigns that are on the middle ground, being appropiate and at the same time appealling for the majority.
The Norman Lear Center is a great health promotion approach in our society. I think its great that their putting accurate health messages in the media by using the stars. Which help us reach a huge audience that already values the source to a certain degree. This will hit people in a personal level, by seeing their favorite stars dealing with a health matter it will help them understand the reality of that issue. As we all know, Hollywood can influence many people on numerous issues in our world.
Personally, I thought the condom use ads were very powerful. Even as an MPH student, the shock value was great. The technique used such as fear arousal works great when competing with a high volume of ads in the media world. It grabs your attention even of you necessarily agree with the methods used or even the message, one has to admit it grabs your attention. The video that utilized the intense make out scene inside a car works well because a lot of the media out there uses sex to sell products and succeeds in doing so.Sex sells so why not use it to promote healthy behavior such as wearing condoms. I think it's great that the health field is being more risky about promoting healthy behavior because the competition is immense and it's a great way to reach the younger audience. I don't think inducing fear will work negatively with the younger population because of the type of media the young population is exposed to in the movies, video games etc...
As far as the Hollywood media wesites, I was really surprised that these studies existed.For example, the Grey's Anatomy study demonstrates how it positively impacts people, increasing their knowledge on health. Incorporating health information in prime time TV is a great way to reach a lot of people. While watching Grey's Anatomy, I don't think about the fact that i'm learning something. I'm sure a lot of people don't realize this and it's definitely a fun way to learn. Shows like Dr. House and Scrubs are great and public health professionals should target prime time TV shows to reach and teach people.
I like that grey anatomy media site, and I think that they already use shows like this to trigger public health messages in a way.
The HIV commercial messages were hilarious. I was laughing the entire time because there was a giant life size condom shooting a game of pool. If that's not funny then I'm lost. But then my good times went away when the last commercial played where everyone was killing everyone. In general, I think that commercial had the greatest effect atleast on people our age.
The condom ads we watched in class were very interesting. I watch MTV and have never seen them so I don't really know if they actually air them or if they are only sponsored through MTV and are available only on youtube. Most of them sent a pretty strong message and obviously induced fear arousal which can produce a tremendous impact, especially in teenagers. I really liked how they did the very "sexy" ad because many teens can relate to those situations and because SEX DOES SELL! Thus, why not use it for the benefit of the viewers.
I do not believe violence is a good tactic to include in promoting safe sex...it may actually backfire. For that reason I really did not like the HIV ad that involved the guns. HIV already has a negative stigma...why make it worse?
The Hollywood, Health & Society website is very neat! I really like how they are aiming to inform the audience with ACCURATE information and the best part is that it is being done in shows that everyone enjoys! I personally think their work is amazing and it is helping our communities become more aware of issues that are surrounding us at the moment. I have seen a handful of shows that do not depict accurate information because they don't take the time to do the research.
The HIV prevention ads were all very interesting and appealing. There were a great variety of HIV ads for different audiences. However, there was one that had such a huge shock value that I forgot about every ad I saw before it. It was the ad where the guy would sleep with the girls and then shoot them. After watching this ad, I could not remember what I saw prior to that. So, I don't know if this ad is really effective for people like me because the shock value was too high. Overall, the HIV ads were interesting and I think most of them appealed to the general audience.
Next, I think the Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S) project at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center is a great way for public health to distribute its information through the media. I didn't even know that a project like this existed. This project allows people in the health fields to relay what they research into the media. This is a strong and powerful tool given that according to the project, many Americans learn about diseases and how to prevent some diseases thru the media. We could used the media to disseminate health information more quickly and effective.
I thought the HIV/AIDS ads were very interesting. In particular, the MTV took a risk in approaching the issue in a controversial way. I personally liked this approach because it stirred emotion and left a lasting impression. I found it highly effective to place the statistic at the end. The ad started off in the heuristic mode and then ended in the systematic mode of thought processing. I think the way the ad transitioned the audience between the two modes of thinking was very effective. Most people perceive HIV/AIDS as a gay disease, I think it's important to increase awareness of its impact on straight women.
I thought the Hollywood, entertainment media websites were very interesting. I think it's important to understand the impact that Primetime television has on its viewers.
There is no question that the HIV/AIDS campaigns presented in class were designed to get your attention and make you think. They aired on MTV and as such were targeted to the youth and young adult demographic. In order to be effective with this audience, campaigns need to be edgy and often blunt in content. The campaign that equated HIV/AIDS as tantamount to shooting a woman was definitely attention getting and blunt. The designers of this campaign need to consider that such a presentation may turn off many people and result in backlash.
It is about time that shows like Grey's Anatomy, ER, House, etc. begin to present health messages in their programs. Their audience is already engaged and likely to be receptive to such messages. But these shows need to be aware that too much information may lead people to self-diagnose or play provider. There needs to be a clear balance between informing people about an issue and leading them to believe that they are experts.
The HIV presentation videos provided viewers with a realistic glimpse into the reality of sexual health. It will be safe to remember that having unprotected sex can place you and you partner at extreme risk. The video clip were creative, and empowering. The website information is also a great source to convey health information to the public. It is vital that health professionals and health educators reach audiences such as teens, the best way they possibly can. If that means creating adds that are extreme in content , it is necessary that we engage individuals.
The MTV ads must have done lots of formative research before putting those commercials/campaigns together. It was very clear the target audience was for MTV watchers mainly young teens, adolescents and young adults.
Due to the wide range of commercials and ads, I thought all approcahes had some effectiveness, depending on the person.
I find humor to be effective in any campaign. I think it eaier to 'hook" people when laughter is involved, than using fear factor tactics. With that said, I found the gunshot ad to be humorous in a way (due to the exageration) along with some fear, due to the severity of the message the ad was portraying.
The first one we saw, the one where religion was touched upon, I thought to be effective for individuals who do value religion in some way. Although making light of it, it would catch a certain audiences attention and they would probably listen.
As far as mass media goes, unfortunatly, Hollywood is probably one of the most influential groups in the U.S. No matter what Hollywood does, people follow, with that said, the media needs to be very cautious as to what and how certain messages are portrayed.
I too agree with many of the comments here that some of the HIV ads were pretty dramatic & how it might be inappropriate for every one to watch. I liked the condom vs AIDS ads.. I thought they were funny and at the same time got the message across in a simple manner. I don't think i liked the ad about shooting the women..
I really like the idea of entertainment education.. And since they have statistics that such concepts so actually work then i think more and more work needs to be done in that field. I also like the case report on the episode of Greys Anatomy. I was surprised at how many people reported an increase in knowledge. As mentioned at another place that the information needs to be repeated for it to be held into people's mindsets. I am glad that there is the Hollywood,Health & Society project which provides accurate information to writers and other entertainment professionals.
I have actually seen the MTV prevention videos before and I loved them. It provides shock value to a generation that constantly thinks "it can't happen to me." The people in the video are just like themselves and it brings reality to the fact that HIV can, in fact, happen to everyone. I think the videos were creative, compelling and empowering, which is what young people need when it comes to sexual communication and condom use.
HIV prevention videos were very innovative. There was a mix of humor, drama, and shock in most videos and that definitely caught the audience attention. Along with some classmates, I also didn't like the last video about shooting your partner after sex. I think it wouldn't be effective with either teens nor at risk young adults. On the other hand, it might send the message that violence is acceptable in relationships and carrying a gun makes people look "cool" and powerful.
Since most of these commercials were produced for the MTV channel, it is obvious who the target audience is. It is mostly the young teen generations that watch MTV on a regular basis. I can understand the use of the fear factor and violence in these commercials in delivering an important health message about AIDS and HIV. Most of the young generation today tends to feel they are invincible to disease and death. I think that the commercials used a lot of good approaches to grab the attention of its viewers, whether it was humor, fear, violence, or shocking statistics. I have personally used the gun and HIV ad for one of my previous classes as an example for health messages directed toward women in order to change their behavior. It sure did get the attention of the class! (That was all women)
As for the media website, I spent a lot of time reading about the studies they conduct for health messages imbedded in TV shows, such as Grey’s Anatomy, and how they survey viewers to measure the retention of health information obtained from watching the shows. The website has many useful resources and informative links, even on health care policies. It was a delight to browse, though I don’t think many people know about the website and its usefulness.
I thought the HIV videos were great! They did a great job of capturing the viewers attention and delivering a memorable message. In my opinion, the first example was more powerful b/c it was quick and to the point while still getting across a powerful message. I would agree with what a lot of our classmates said about the gun/HIV add. I think this is an example of a fear-based message gone wrong. If I came across this add on TV or on the Internet I would probably be too distracted by the violence to process the health message.
As for the websites, I think this is a very promising direction for public health communication. Wether we like it or not, what we watch on television influences what we think and do. While in public health we often focus on the negative influence of entertainment on health (e.g., violence and promiscuity), entertainment is also a great vehicle to promote health in a way that is engaging and bound to reach the masses.calingi
Well, if it was on MTV, the the target audience would be youth-primarily teens, and pre-teens. I think humor would affect different people differently-meaning that some people may take offense to it, while others may welcome it! Same thing with an approach to drama- some may think it's too "depressing"- I mean, I've heard this comment before from my peers who are in their 20's, upon watching documenatatries that aim to "expose the truth" about certain social issues. This is why we can't really guess what would work with a target audience, rather we have to do some digging as to what will get attention, and which type of a reaction it is likely to produce (hopefully a behavior change). The MTV generations tend to have a sense of "invisibility". This makes the task at hand even tougher! So, finding the right channel is important to get the message across! Hopefully these ads will have the "intended effect".
As for the entertainment media sites, I found the vast amount of research findings of how TV affects teen behavior to be quite thought provoking! needless to say that as public health people we all know what type of effect the media has on teen health-related behavior! However, the numbers really do speak for themselves. I specifically found the following finding by the Kaiser family research to be interesting:
Nearly three out of four (72%) teens think sex on TV influences the sexual behaviors of kids their age “somewhat” or “a lot”; but just one in four (22%) think it influences their own behavior.
What makes this finding interesting is that while the teens think TV has a large influence on the behavior of their peers, they don't think they themselves are part of this statistic!
I didn’t really care for the commercial about the condom always “winning.” It was sort of funny, but I didn’t think it would have been taken seriously. The other commercial, on the other hand, was shocking but effective….it showed the analogous relationship between death and condom use so it took the ad to another level by really provoking thoughts about condom use.
I think media can best be used for health promotion by making it more entertaining and enticing to for the audience. Having health messages in the mainstream media will allow it to be more accessible and have more exposure, but it will also give the health message more opportunities to change people from the heuristic mode to the systematic mode.
I believe the product placement of cigars in kid’s movies is a horrible move! Although the kid’s might not go light up a cigar/cigarette right then and there, they will see some of their favorite cartoon characters light up and will think it’s okay to smoke….Wouldn’t it be nice if the cartoons got sick with emphysema to actually show the health effects of smoking?....then how would this affect the kids?
The higher rates of teen pregnancy found in girls who regularly watch steamy sex shows is a more difficult situation to deal with. With kids, parents or guardians probably have more control over what the kids watch. Teens, on the other hand, will find a way to watch or do want they want, so it’s trickier to thwart them from viewing these shows. The shows’ producers need to find a way to balance the show’s content with the messages they are sending implicitly…I understand that storylines matter, but when correlations like this occur, somebody needs to step in. It would be interesting to see if a study could be conducted measuring condom use among teens who viewed these shows versus condom use among teens who watch a similar show that showed a condom after every sexual encounter.
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