Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
With Smoking In Movies On Rise, Experts Want All Films With Tobacco Use To Get An R-Rating
Tobacco is appearing more in blockbuster movies, raising public health concerns, a new study finds. Depictions or suggestions of tobacco use in top-grossing movies rose 72 percent from 2010 to 2016, according to the report, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The increase was especially large among top-grossing movies with R ratings, which saw a 90 percent rise in tobacco-use imagery, though researchers noted with special concern that movies rated PG-13 also saw a sizable increase: 43 percent. (Chokshi, 7/11)
The study鈥檚 primary aim was to assess Hollywood鈥檚 progress in keeping 鈥渢obacco incidents鈥 out of the movies most likely to be seen by America鈥檚 kids and teens. Researchers who focus on this area define such incidents as 鈥渢he use or implied use of a tobacco product (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookah, smokeless tobacco products, and electronic cigarettes) by an actor.鈥 If two characters are smoking during a conversation, that counts as two tobacco incidents. If one of those characters is holding a pack of cigarettes in another scene, that qualifies as another incident. (Kaplan, 7/11)