Tobacco information in two grade school newsweeklies: a content analysis.
OBJECTIVE
This study compared tobacco-related articles from two elementary school publications, Weekly Reader and Scholastic News, published in 1989 through 1994.


METHODS
Articles for grades 4 through 6 were evaluated, and the publications were compared with each other. Also, issues of Weekly Reader published after acquisition by K-III, which is owned by the firm that formerly owned RJR Tobacco, were compared with the earlier ones.


RESULTS
Weekly Reader was less likely than Scholastic News to mention short-term consequences of smoking (32% vs 64%) or to give a clear "no-use" message (35% vs 79%). Weekly Reader was more likely to give the tobacco industry position (68% vs 32%). Post-K-III issues of Weekly Reader were less likely to provide a clear no-use message than earlier ones (62% vs 24%).


CONCLUSIONS
Health professionals need to monitor the health information carried in these publications, which reach between 1 and 2 million students per grade level each week. Although neither publication had perfect tobacco coverage, Scholastic News was significantly better than Weekly Reader.
Balbach
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Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0124, USA.
Glantz
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D000329:Advertising; D002648:Child; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006266:Health Education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D010067:Ownership; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012574:Schools; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D014481:United States