Leaders and elites: portrayals of smoking in popular films.
OBJECTIVE
To study frequency and traits of characters that smoke in films and to document on-screen consequences of tobacco use.


METHODS
This study conducted a content analysis of the top 100 grossing films in 2002, with a total global gross of 12.4 billion US dollars.


METHODS
Three outcome measures were frequency of smoking incidents, traits of characters who smoke, and consequences of tobacco use.


RESULTS
6% of characters smoked in 453 incidents, including 3% of children. In 92% of incidences, smoking had no consequences. The most frequent consequence was a verbal reprimand. Although tobacco is a leading cause of preventable deaths globally, only 0.4% of tobacco incidences resulted in death. No deaths were caused by disease. Characters who smoked tended to be major characters playing leadership roles. They tended to be from privileged elites: male, white, and mature.


CONCLUSIONS
Films portray characters that smoke as leaders from privileged elites, making smoking more attractive to audience members. Because 99.6% of characters suffer no life threatening consequences from smoking on screen, smokers seem invincible, belying tobacco's role as a leading cause of preventable deaths.
Dozier
D M
DM
School of Communication, San Diego State University, San Diego, California 92182-4561, USA. ddozier@mail.sdsu.edu
Lauzen
M M
MM
Day
C A
CA
Payne
S M
SM
Tafoya
M R
MR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009040:Motion Pictures; D010551:Personality; D012907:Smoking