 |
 |

Injury Prevention Practices as Depicted in G-Rated and PG-Rated Movies
Andrew R. Pelletier, MD, MPH;
Kyran P. Quinlan, MD, MPH;
Jeffrey J. Sacks, MD, MPH;
Thomas J. Van Gilder, MD, MPH;
Julie Gilchrist, MD;
Harsohena K. Ahluwalia, MBBS
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000;154:283-286.
Background Previous studies on alcohol, tobacco, and violence suggest that children's behavior can be influenced by mass media; however, little is known about the effect of media on unintentional injuries, the leading cause of death among young persons in the United States.
Objective To determine how injury prevention practices are depicted in G-rated (general audience) and PG-rated (parental guidance recommended) movies.
Design Observational study.
Setting The 25 movies with the highest domestic box-office grosses and a rating of G or PG for each year from 1995 through 1997. Movies that were predominantly animated or not set in the present day were excluded from analysis.
Subjects Movie characters with speaking roles.
Main Outcome Measures Safety belt use by motor vehicle occupants, use of a crosswalk and looking both ways by pedestrians crossing a street, helmet use by bicyclists, personal flotation device use by boaters, and selected other injury prevention practices.
Results Fifty nonanimated movies set in the present day were included in the study. A total of 753 person-scenes involving riding in a motor vehicle, crossing the street, bicycling, and boating were shown (median, 13.5 person-scenes per movie). Forty-two person-scenes (6%) involved falls or crashes, which resulted in 4 injuries and 2 deaths. Overall, 119 (27%) of 447 motor vehicle occupants wore safety belts, 20 (18%) of 109 pedestrians looked both ways before crossing the street and 25 (16%) of 160 used a crosswalk, 4 (6%) of 64 bicyclists wore helmets, and 14 (17%) of 82 boaters wore personal flotation devices.
Conclusions In scenes depicting everyday life in popular movies likely to be seen by children, characters were infrequently portrayed practicing recommended safe behaviors. The consequences of unsafe behaviors were rarely shown. The entertainment industry should improve its depiction of injury prevention practices in G-rated and PG-rated movies.
From the State Branch of the Division of Applied Public Health Training, Epidemiology Program Office (Drs Pelletier, Van Gilder, and Ahluwalia); the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (Drs Quinlan, Sacks, and Gilchrist); and the Epidemic Intelligence Service, Division of Applied Public Health Training, Epidemiology Program Office (Drs Quinlan, Gilchrist, and Ahluwalia), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga.
CiteULike Connotea Del.icio.us Digg Reddit Technorati Twitter
What's this?
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
 |
Firearm Use in G- and PG-Rated Movies, 2003-2007
Tongren et al.
JAMA 2009;301:2213-2214.
FULL TEXT
Prevalence of transportation safety measures portrayed in primetime US television programs and commercials
McGwin et al.
Inj. Prev. 2006;12:400-403.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
The Teen Driver
Committee on Injury, Violence, and Poison Preventi and Committee on Adolescence
Pediatrics 2006;118:2570-2581.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Injury Admissions to Pediatric Intensive Care Are Predictable and Preventable: A Call to Action
Joffe and Lalani
J Intensive Care Med 2006;21:227-234.
ABSTRACT
Injury prevention practices as depicted in G and PG rated movies: the sequel
Ramsey et al.
Inj. Prev. 2005;11:353-356.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Unintentional injury depictions in popular children's television programs
Glik et al.
Inj. Prev. 2005;11:237-241.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Update on Firearm Use in G- and PG-Rated Movies
Ramsey and Pelletier
JAMA 2004;292:2836-2837.
FULL TEXT
Unsafe and Violent Behavior in Commercials Aired During Televised Major Sporting Events
Tamburro et al.
Pediatrics 2004;114:e694-e698.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Violence in G-Rated Animated Films
Yokota and Thompson
JAMA 2000;283:2716-2720.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
|