Effect of Exposure to Smoking in Movies on Young Adult Smoking in New Zealand.

Philip Gendall,Richard Edwards,Stanton Glantz,Janet Hoek,Scott M Langevin

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0148692

Philip Gendall, Richard Edwards + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0148692

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Abstract

Onscreen Smoking Is a Form of Tobacco MarketingTobacco advertising has been prohibited in New Zealand since 1990, and the government has set a goal of becoming a smokefree nation by 2025. However, tobacco marketing persists indirectly through smoking in motion pictures, and there is strong evidence that exposure to onscreen smoking causes young people to start smoking. We investigated the relationship between exposure to smoking in movies and youth smoking initiation among New Zealand young adults. Data from an online survey of 419 smokers and non-smokers aged 18 to 25 were used to estimate respondents’ exposure to smoking occurrences in 50 randomly-selected movies from the 423 US top box office movies released between 2008 and 2012. Analyses involved calculating movie smoking exposure (MSE) for each respondent, using logistic regression to analyse the relationship between MSE and current smoking behaviour, and estimating the attributable fraction due to smoking in movies.Effect of Smoking in Movies on New Zealand YouthExposure to smoking occurrences in movies was associated with current smoking status. After allowing for the influence of family, friends and co-workers, age and rebelliousness, respondents’ likelihood of smoking increased by 11% for every 100-incident increase in exposure to smoking incidents, (aOR1.11; p< .05). The estimated attributable fraction due to smoking in movies was 54%; this risk could be substantially reduced by eliminating smoking from movies currently rated as appropriate for youth. We conclude that exposure to smoking in movies remains a potent risk factor associated with smoking among young adults, even in a progressive tobacco control setting such as New Zealand. Harmonising the age of legal tobacco purchase (18) with the age at which it is legal to view smoking in movies would support New Zealand’s smokefree 2025 goal.

Highlights

The US Surgeon General and other authorities have concluded that tobacco marketing causes young people to start smoking [1,2,3,4]
We examined how exposure to smoking in movies affects New Zealand young adults who live in an otherwise heavily restricted tobacco marketing environment, and where the government has a goal to reduce smoking to minimal levels by 2025
Like other countries that have prohibited mass media tobacco marketing, New Zealand’s current film rating policy allows adolescents and young adults to be exposed to smoking occurrences in movies

Summary

Introduction

The US Surgeon General and other authorities have concluded that tobacco marketing causes young people to start smoking [1,2,3,4]. In response to this evidence, and to implement Article 13 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), many governments have restricted tobacco promotions, limiting young people’s exposure to aspirational smoker identities [5, 6]. New Zealand has a particular interest in reducing youth and young adult smoking because the government has banned tobacco advertising and promotion, and set a goal of becoming essentially smokefree by 2025 (defined as smoking prevalence falling below five percent in all population groups) [24]. Many other countries have set or are considering similar goals [25], making analysis of covert tobacco marketing’s effects on young people a priority

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