This article is from the WebMD News Archive
'R' Rating Urged for Smoking in Movies
Oct. 9, 2006 -- There is a new push to give an "R" rating to all movies that depict smoking.
Why? Every year, nearly 400,000 kids start smoking due to the influence of movies. The finding was highlighted at this week's meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics, held Oct. 7-10 in Atlanta.
Can you really tell whether smoking portrayed in movies makes kids start smoking? Yes, says James Sargent, MD, director of the Cancer Prevention Research Program at Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, N.H.
Since 1996, Sargent and colleagues have analyzed movies for smoking content. They've also been finding out which movies kids have seen, and whether they smoke.
After accounting for factors linked to smoking behavior and moviegoing frequency, they find that kids who see the most onscreen smoking are more than 2.5 times more likely to start smoking than kids who see the least onscreen smoking.
Movies Influence Smoking
The numbers are striking. Kids who watched very few movies hardly smoked at all. But among the 5% of kids who saw the most onscreen smoking, 40% had started smoking themselves.
There's less smoking in movies than there used to be. But this is mostly due to less smoking in movies already rated "R" or higher. In youth-rated movies, there's been no less smoking.
Sargent -- backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics -- strongly urges the film industry to adopt four rules proposed by the University of California, San Francisco "Smokefreemovies" campaign:
- Movies that portray smoking should be rated "R."
- Movies should certify that they received nothing of value from anyone in exchange for portraying tobacco use or tobacco products.
- Movies should run strong antismoking ads before any film that portrays smoking or tobacco products.
- Movies should ban the display of any brand of tobacco.
del.icio.us
Important Safety Information
Vimpat (lacosamide) is a medicine that is used with other medicines to treat partial onset seizures in patients 17 years of age and older with epilepsy. Vimpat is generally well-tolerated, but may not be for everyone. Ask your doctor if Vimpat is right for you. Antiepileptic drugs, including Vimpat, may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have new or worsening symptoms of depression, any unusual changes in mood or behavior, or suicidal thoughts, behavior, or thoughts about self harm that you have never had before or may be worse than before. Please see additional patient information in the Medication Guide at the end of the full prescribing information. This information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your condition or your treatment. Please see additional Patient Safety Information
Issues-
1.
-
2.
-
3.
-
4.
-
5.
-
6.
-
7.
-
8.
-
9.
-
10.
-
11.
-
12.
Get the facts you need on those daily changes in your baby's diaper, step by step.
