Research Projects
Media, New Media and Health
We are currently developing work around gender and the media.
Images of smoking in films and tobacco use among young adults
Studies show an association between smoking viewed in films and smoking initiation in early adolescence. In 11 to 16 & 16+ at age 19, we found no association in either sex (Hunt, Sweeting, Sargent, Lewars, Dal Cin, and Worth 2009). We speculated that this discrepancy with findings from the US and Germany could reflect greater media literacy in older adolescents, the influence of other media (e.g. TV) images of smoking, or greater ubiquity of real-life smoking in Scotland. We are currently investigating these associations in 14-15 year olds using data being collected for the Healthy Respect 2 study.
Young people’s interpretations of media portrayals of health (PhD project: Jane Hartley)
Ongoing PhD research is using qualitative methods to investigate how young people interpret media portrayals of health behaviours and how this relates to their conceptualisations of what is appropriate for themselves and the opposite sex, and their understandings of romantic relationships.
Publications
Sweeting H, Hunt K, Bhaskar A. Consumerism and well-being in early adolescence. Journal of Youth Studies (in press).
Hanewinkel R, Sargent JD, Poelen EAP, Scholte R, Florek E, Hunt K, Sweeting H, Karlsdottir S, Jonsson SH, Mathis F, Faggiano F, Morgenstein M. Alcohol consumption in movies and adolescent binge drinking: cross-sectional study in six European countries. Pediatrics 2012;129:709-20.
pubmed open accessHanewinkel R, Sargent JD, Karlsdottir S, Jonsson SH, Mathis F, Faggiano F, Poelen EAP, Scholte R, Florek E, Sweeting H, Hunt K, Morgenstein M. High youth access to movies that contain smoking in Europe compared with the USA [Epub ahead of print]. Tobacco Control 2011.
pubmedHunt K, Henderson M, Wight D, Sargent JD. Exposure to smoking in films and own smoking amongst Scottish adolescents: a cross-sectional study. Thorax 2011; 66:866-74.
pubmed open accessHunt K, Sweeting H, Sargent J, Lewars H, Young R, West P. An association between seeing incidents of alcohol or drug use in films and young Scottish adults' own alcohol or drug use: cross sectional study. BMC Public Health 2011; 11:259.
pubmed open accessMorgenstern M, Poelen EA, Scholte R, Karlsdottir S, Jonsson SH, Mathis F, Faggiano F, Florek E, Sweeting H, Hunt K, Sargent JD, Hanewinkel R. Smoking in movies and adolescent smoking: cross-cultural study in six European countries. Thorax 2011; 66:875-83.
pubmed open accessHunt K, Sweeting H, Sargent J, Lewars H, Dal Cin S, Worth K. An examination of the association between seeing smoking in films and tobacco use in young adults in the West of Scotland: cross-sectional study. Health Education Research: Theory and Practice 2009; 24:22-31.
pubmed
