Center on Media and Child Health

Recently Added Studies to the CMCH Database of Research

Take a look at some of the studies we recently added to the CMCH Database of Research.

Goldsmith, A.Y., et al. (2012). The cover story: What the book jacket of Adele Michin's young adult novel. The Beat Goes On, communicates about HIV/AIDS. The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults.

• This study analyzed a book cover to determine whether cover art communicates subject matter.

Nan, X., et al. (2012). HPV vaccine information in the Blogosphere: How positive and negative blogs influence Vaccine-related risk perceptions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions. Health Communication  27(8), 829-836.

• This study looked at college students and their attitudes toward the HPV vaccine by exposing them to positive- or negative-perspective blogs about the vaccine.

Roman, Z., et al. (2012). The Brand and the Bold: Synergy and sidekicks in licensed-based children’s television. Global Media Journal, 12(20), 1-15.

• This study analyzed the gender and commercialism in Batman's sidekicks in a children's television show.

Looking for research on other topics? Search the rest of the database for more studies.

Recently Added Studies on Children, Media, and Health

Take a look at some of the latest studies added to the CMCH Database!

Bleakley, A., et al. (2008). It works both ways: The relationship between exposure to sexual content in the media and adolescent sexual behavior. Media Psychology, 11(4), 443-461.

• Adolescents who are sexually active are more likely to look at media with sexual content, say the researchers.

Christison, A., & Khan, H.A. (2012). Exergaming for health: A community-based pediatric weight management program using active video gaming. Clinical Pediatrics, 51(4), 382-388.

• Community-based programs to target obesity, especially one that includes an exergame, could be effective in reducing overweight, this study says.

Lapierre, M., et al. (2011). Influence of licensed spokescharacters and health cues on children's ratings of cereal taste. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 165(3), 229-234.

• Characters can influence children's taste or distaste for breakfast cereal, whether or not the cereal is labeled as healthy or sugary, says this study.

Vandenbosch, L., & Eggermont, S. (2012). Understanding sexual objectification: A comprehensive approach toward media exposure and girls' internalization of beauty ideals, self-objectification, and body surveillance. Journal of Communication, 62(5), 869-887.

• When it comes to most forms of media, the amount consumed relates to the internalization of beauty ideals for girls, researchers determined.

As always, if you're looking for more research on children, media, and health, take a look at the CMCH Database of Research.

Connections in News, Media, and Research: World AIDS Day Edition

December 1st is World AIDS Day, but the awareness month continues until the new year. Here is some news and research on media and its connections with sexual health, STI/STD prevention, and sexual health literacy.

• Take a look at the official World AIDS Day website, with statistics, videos, event listings, and more. Did you know it was the first global health day?
• Why is this an important day to recognize, especially for CMCH? Research shows that the numbers of young people infected with HIV are growing, and around 60% of these teens don't even know they are affected, meaning that they miss out on healthcare and could pass HIV on to new partners. For us, that means that it's ever more important to teach health literacy, using a variety of methods - including meda - to get vital messages across.
• If you're curious about how sexual activity is portrayed in fictional media like novels, movies, and television shows, we have some research in our database. Here is an analysis of sexual activity content in young adult novels. A 2011 study looked at whether exposure to sex on TV varied by show genre. In 2010, researchers asked teens for their judgment on sexual content in television shows, and in 2009 researchers looked at whether viewing sexual content on television was related to a lower fear of contracting AIDS.
• You don't have to be an adult to care about teens and health literacy. Take a look at this blog post by a 17-year-old writer on why it's important to get tested for HIV. That same writer also wrote another post linking to a video on touring reproductive health clinics in order to lower fears and stigma associated with such visits.
• Many healthcare providers have been experimenting with using new media to engage with adolescents and encourage preventive sexual health practices. Here's a study on computer-based interventions targeting teens in rural areas, and this study looked at the efficacy of similar programs. There is also a texting-based prevention program. And what do you think of this much older (1990) method, an AIDS comic book?
• In this study, teens themselves took the lead on teaching their peers about media representations of sex.
• For more global perspectives on HIV/AIDS prevention, take a look at these studies based in Brazil, Uganda, Jamaica, and a global initiative with a study based in Nepal, Brazil, and Senegal.
• Rookie is an online teen magazine (and huge phenomenon) started by a teenage girl and featuring adult and teen contributors. It's a great way for teen girls to teach and converse with each other about sexual health issues, empowerment, and concerns. Take a look at some of these great posts: 1, 2, and 3.

To look at more research on the effects of media on child and adolescent health, check out the free CMCH Database of Research.

Recently Added Studies on Children, Media, and Health

Check out these studies of interest that were recently added to our database.

Durham, Meenakshi Gigi. (2011). Blood, lust and love: Interrogating gender violence in the Twilight phenomenon. The Journal of Children and Media, 6(3), 281-299.

• The researcher investigated the popular YA book series The Twilight Saga and looked at gender stereotypes and dating activities and customs. The author considered what influence the gender roles in the series might have on its readers.

Lwin, May O., & Malik, Shelly. (2011). The role of media exposure, peers, and family on body dissatisfaction amongst boys and girls in Singapore. Journal of Children and Media, 6(1), 69-82.

• Researchers surveyed 10- to 13-year-old children in Singapore to learn about their body image and body dissatisfaction. They found that both parents and peer groups have an effect on tweens and early adolescents' body image, as does media exposure.

McDermott, Jeanne T. (2011). Getting it on: An examination of how contraceptives are portrayed in young adult literature. Young Adult Library Services, 9(4), 47-53.

• The author of this study, a youth services librarian, analyzed the content of 25 YA novels published between 1995 and 2010 to determine what types of portrayals of contraceptive use each book contained. She determined that fiction alone was not a good enough resource for teens.

Mossle, Thomas, et al. (2010). Media use and school achievement--boys at risk? British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 28(pt 3), 699-725.

• In this study, researchers looked at the connection between media use and academics. They found that boys who used media frequently were more likely than girls to have lower school achievement, especially when video and computer games were involved. They also found that children whose schools had a media literacy education program were more likely to have high achievement.

Wansink, B., et al. (2012). Can branding improve school lunches? Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 166(10), 967-968.

• This letter from the researchers described an experiment in which schoolchildren were given branded and unbranded food items, healthy and unhealthy, in an effort to determine whether the presence of a recognizable character, such as Elmo, would make them more likely to choose a certain item.

To find more studies on children, media, and health, click here to search our database.

Recently Added Studies on Children, Media, and Health

Check out these studies of interest on the topics of children, media, and health that were recently added to the CMCH database:

Barroso, C.S., et al. (2011). Saturday morning television advertisements aired on English and Spanish language networks along the Texas-Mexico border. Journal of Applied Research on Children, 2(2), 1-22.

• This study analyzed food-related commercials aired during children's television programming in an area at high risk for obesity, the Texas-Mexico border. The researchers found that only a small amount of the total commercial time was dedicated to food advertisements, but of that portion, the majority of advertisements were for unhealthy foods.

Boisseau, C.L., et al. (2011). Representation of ideal figure size in Ebony magazine: A content analysis. Body Image, 8(4), 373-378.

• This study looked at issues published over the last couple of decades of Ebony magazine, a publication meant for African American women. They looked at female readers' reactions to diet- and exercise-related content, sizes and shapes of female models, and other factors. They concluded that the African American community may have more accepting attitudes about different body sizes and shapes, and that this was reflected in the magazine.

Devis-Devis, V.J., et al. (2012). Brief report: Association between socio-demographic factors, screen media usage and physical activity by type of day in Spanish adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 35(1), 213-218.

• This study looked at Spanish adolescents' leisure activities that were media-based and looked at associations between media usage and physical activity. Media usage/physical activity relationships depended on the type of media and whether it was a weekday or weekend.

Jones, R.K., & Biddlecom, A.E. (2011). Is the Internet filling the sexual health information gap for teens? An exploratory study. Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives, 16(2), 112-123.

• Researchers asked high school students whether they used the Internet to seek information on sexual health topics. They found that most students only used the Internet for this purpose when it was a school assignment, not when it was for their own interests. However, the researchers concluded that the Internet could be used as a way to offer sexual health information so long as teachers use media literacy training to help students assess the validity of websites.

 Young, R., et al. (2011). Keeping in constant touch: The predictors of young Australians' mobile phone involvement. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(1), 333-342.

• This study looked at which characteristics were shared by teens who used mobile phones in Australia. They found that young people used mobile phones more. Interestingly, more positive self concept was correlated with higher phone usage as well. 

Looking for other studies? Click here to search the CMCH Database of Research.

Media in the Media - News We're Following

Here at CMCH, we're always finding news, websites, games, and other great stuff that promotes positive use of media, shows young people engaging with technology in creative ways, informs us of new studies underway, and highlights other items of interest to practitioners, researchers, parents, teachers, and advocates. Here are some of the things we're excited about lately.

• GenZPlay has developed an app for kids that only functions if they're doing physical activity. What an interesting way to make sure technology-loving kids go outside and play once in awhile!Available for iPhone, Big Cat Race pits the iPhone holder against a lion, leopard, or cheetah and encourages them to race.
• In a study titled "The New Definition of Childhood," The Global Kids Study found that kids use technology in a variety of positive ways, helping make this generation's world a lot smaller than it is for their parents.
• YA (young adult, meant for teens) literature has enjoyed a surge of popularity lately and is becoming more widely read by both tweens and adults. In these two posts at Teen Librarian's Toolbox, bloggers Christie and Karen discuss what the covers of YA books might say, imply, or promote about body image and size.
• The great accessibility of the Internet has led to crowdsourcing new musical albums, book reviews, and health information. Just take a look at Kickstarter, Goodreads, or HealthTap if you want to see how people of all backgrounds provide others--even if they don't know them in person--with everything from support for a business upstart to answers to common health questions. Now teens are doing that too, with the public launch of Hallway, a crowd-sourced homework help website.
• Confused about why so many girls love seemingly vapid and meaningless pop songs? This insightful essay about Taylor Swift, the guitar-playing young popstar known for writing songs about breakups and heartbreak (and directly naming her exes) talks about why Swift's lyrics really are quite accurate and pertinent to teen life.
• Those interested in understanding how teens use various forms of technology might be curious about the approach, opinions, and expertise of those who work with adolescents outside of the medical sphere. Professional magazine VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) provides freely available archives online of their column Tag Team Tech, which discusses everything from cyberbullying to pleasure reading to visual literacy. 
• With so many media messages about how girls should hate math or how computer programming is for boys, it's great to see this news about African American girls succeeding at and enjoying computer programming. The program Black Girls Code aims not only to educate and engage these girls but also to change their perspectives on what the stereotypical programmer looks and acts like, hoping to get a little more diversity into the field.
• GURL.com talks about why celebrity "bump watching" is silly, and they also take a jab at the idea that girls who don't watch their eating must be pregnant. Previously, though, they encouraged readers to speculate on whether actress and singer Selena Gomez, who was rushed to the hospital, was pregnant or just sick. What do you think tabloid media and reality shows that focus on pregnancy or pregnancy speculation do to the perceptions of the teens that read and watch them? P.S. If you want to see what else this site, frequented by teen girls and dedicated to everything from health tips to fashion, says, click on the links at the bottom of the article for "pregnant" and "pregnancy."

If you're looking for peer-reviewed articles and scholarly research, remember to check the CMCH database.

Media in the Media - News We're Following

Here at CMCH, we're always finding news, websites, games, and other great stuff that promotes positive use of media, shows young people engaging with technology in creative ways, informs us of new studies underway, and highlights other items of interest to practitioners, researchers, parents, teachers, and advocates. Here are some of the things we're excited about lately.

• In an effort to speak to minority youth and find an innovative way to provide them with HIV facts and data, researchers at Yale are working on an iPad game called Playforward: Elm City Stories. The game will allow players to "live" the life of a young person who must navigate through the tricky world of sexuality and sexual health.
• You've probably heard of DoSomething.org, a social change organization that encourages teens to get involved with charity and social justice work. The founder of DoSomething recently began Crisis Text Line, which will provide teens with referrals and information on dating violence, depression, and other health issues via text message (who makes phone calls anymore?).
• Facebook is generally thought of as the site of much cyberbullying, but it looks like Facebook administrators are out to change that perception by partnering with the Australian government in a fight to combat it.
• Recess is considered an essential part of the school day for physical activity, mental rest, and the development of socialization skills. But are kids actually doing at recess? This study aims to discover the racial and gender differences that inform recess activities. And for those educators and parents who are worried about the state of recess in their school, it might be interesting to take a look at this innovative program that brings facilitators to low-income schools to encourage play of all kinds outside, or at this new high-tech playground that tries to get video game-oriented kids back outside.
• Schools in Washington, DC, are switching to a blended model that mixes traditional classroom learning with online learning, in the hopes that this will boost student engagement with learning and also provide both teachers and students with innovative new tools and 21st century tools that will help students be ready for college. We're interested to see how their first year goes!
• Parents who are worried about ever-younger children wanting to join social networking sites might be interested in BiblioNasium, a pilot social network revolving around books and reading, designed specifically for 6-12-year-olds and their parents, teachers, and mentors. Not only does the site encourage social sharing and friendships made through shared interest in reading, but it also offers recommendations and reviews complete with Lexile Framework for Reading guidelines so that teachers and parents can find appropriately leveled books for their kids.
• "Kids these days." It may seem that all they want to do is be left alone with their smartphones, but a new UK survey revealed that kids prefer simple summer activities like family bike rides and picnics to more elaborate outings like theme parks. What a relief to know that what's tried, true, and inexpensive is still pretty great!

If you're looking for peer-reviewed articles and scholarly research, remember to check the CMCH database.

Recently Published Studies on Children, Media, and Health

Check out these recently published studies available in the CMCH database.

Backett-Milburn, K., & Jackson, S. Children's concerns about their parents' health and wellbeing: Researching with ChildLine Scotland. Children & Society, 26(5): 381-393.

• Children use media for a variety of reasons, including, as this study shows, to learn or talk about their parents' own health. This study followed the work of ChildLine Scotland, which handles unsolicited calls from children, and looked at the way children react to, cope with, or take care of their parents' health issues. It yielded interesting data on the topics most affecting children and their parents as well as how and why they seek help over the phone.

Gao, Z. Motivated but Not Active: The Dilemmas of Incorporating Interactive Dance Into Gym Class. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 9(6): 794-800.

• The trend today is to tout exergames as an excellent, 21st century-friendly way to get young people to incorporate exercise into their daily lives. In this study of school physical education courses using the game Dance Dance Revolution, the researcher found that students were certainly motivated to play the game and enjoy the physical activity that came with it, but that the levels of exertion were still lower than desireable until they reached a high level of mastery with the game. Conclusions indicate that such games, while fun, are not sufficient as a sole method of physical activity.

McLaughlin, M., et al.  2012. A videosharing social networking intervention for young adult cancer survivors. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(2): 631-641.

• Clinicians are familiar with the challenges of helping adolescents transition from pediatric care to adult care. This study focuses on the experiences of teen cancer survivors and discusses their specific challenges and needs, finally leading to an explanation of a videosharing program that allowed the teens to network and share coping strategies and life stories with other survivors.

Pinkleton, B.E., et al. The role of media literacy in shaping adolescents' understanding of and responses to sexual portrayals in mass media. Journal of Health Communication, 17(4): 460-476.

• This study showcased one of the many ways that that educators and physicians must share the burden and collaborate in interventions addressed towards adolescents, health, and media use. Researchers conducted a study of teens who had participated in a media literacy educational program, as well as a control group who hadn't, that looked how teens seek out and respond to media about sexuality, sexual intercourse, and sexual health. Qualitative and quantitative results are presented, and the study found that this was a good way to target both girls and boys with good results.

Shechtman, Z., & Abu Yaman, M. SEL as a Component of a Literature Class to Improve Relationships, Behavior, Motivation, and Content Knowledge. American Educational Research Journal, 49(3): 546-567.

• This study looked at connections between literature and emotional health and learning. The researchers assumed that emotional competencies lead to better coping skills, academic achievement, and mental health. By using classroom teachers and students, the researchers found that "affective teaching" of literature led to positive results for students.

Looking for other studies? Use the CMCH Free Database of Research to find them.

World AIDS Day 2011: Studies on Media and HIV/AIDS

According to United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (Unaids) there are now 34 million people living with HIV, including 3.4 million children. To celebrate World AIDS Day 2011, we selected a list of studies which evaluate the impact of sexual, HIV and AIDS media messages on children and teens’ health:

Lemal, M. & Van den Bulck, J. (2009). Exposure to semi-explicit sexual television content is related to adolescents' reduced fear of AIDS. Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care, 14(6), 406-409.

• This study investigates the relationship between adolescents' frequency of watching semi-explicit sexual television content and their fear of getting AIDS.

Horner, J. R. et al. (2008). Using culture-centered qualitative formative research to design broadcast messages for HIV prevention for African American adolescents." J Health Commun, 13(4), 309-25.

• This article describes a culture-centered approach for developing messages to promote sexual risk reduction in urban African American adolescents.

Ito, K. E. et al. (2008). Let's Talk About Sex: Pilot study of an interactive CD-ROM to prevent HIV/STIS in female adolescents." AIDS Educ Prev, 20(1), 78-89.

• This study explores the effectiveness of an interactive CD-ROM developed by researchers to teach adolescent females about Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

Geary, C. W. et al. (2006).  Does MTV reach an appropriate audience for HIV prevention messages? Evidence from MTV viewership data in Nepal and Brazil. J Health Commun, 11(7), 665-81.

• This study examines the audience of MTV and the concurrent teaching capabilities of MTV in relation to HIV/AIDS awareness.

Escobar-Chaves, S.L., Tortolero, S.R., Markham, C.M., Low, B.J., Eitel, P.,Thickstun, P.(2005). Impact of the media on adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviors. Pediatrics, 116(1), 303-26.

• This study explores the effects of mass media on adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviors.

Collins, R. L. et al. (2004). Watching sex on television predicts adolescent initiation of sexual behavior.Pediatrics, 114(3), e280-e289.

• This study explores the relationship between exposure to sex on television and adolescent sexual behavior.

 Segal, L., et al. (2002). Developing an HIV/AIDS education curriculum for "Takalani Sesame," South Africa's "Sesame Street." Early Education & Development, 13(4), 363-78.

• This study describes the process of developing an HIV/AIDS education curriculum for "Takalani Sesame," an educational media project for young South African children.

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Use the free CMCH Database of Research to find other studies on children, media, and health.

Q: What do you get when you cross a Hollywood filmmaker with a pediatrician?

A: The Mediatrician^SM

Q:  How do I deal with inappropriate commercials during sports TV?

Q:  My 2 year old was scared by a movie, what do I do?

Q:  How much TV is too much TV?

From cyberbullying and violent video games to social networking and sexting, parents are overwhelmed by the new media environment and how it affects their children. To help parents navigate this new and changing landscape, CMCH is excited to announce the launch of Ask the Mediatrician ^SM.

Pediatrician, former Hollywood producer, parent, and CMCH founder Dr. Michael Rich
turns research-based recommendations into action steps parents can take in order to make media a positive and healthful encounter for their families.   

Also, check out our new and improved homepage!