Exposure to smoking in soap operas and movies: smoking cessation and attempts to quit

• Published in: Cadernos de saúde pública 2017-09, Vol.33Suppl 3 (Suppl 3), p.e00118015-e00118015
• Main Authors: Madewell, Zachary J, Figueiredo, Valeska Carvalho, Harbertson, Judith, Pérez, Ramona L, Novotny, Thomas
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; por
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Brazil - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Drama; Female; Health Surveys - instrumentation; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Motion Pictures; Smoking - epidemiology; Smoking Cessation - statistics & numerical data; Smoking Prevention; Socioeconomic Factors; Television; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1678-4464
• DOI: 10.1590/0102-311X00118015

The objectives of this research were to evaluate whether there was an association between seeing an actor smoke in telenovelas, Brazilian films, or international films, and trying to quit and quitting among adult Brazilian smokers. Data from 39,425 participants in the Global Adult Tobacco Survey were used. Quit ratio (former smoker/former smoker + ever smoker) and proportions of current, former, and never smokers were calculated. Multivariable weighted regression was used to determine significant associations between quitting smoking and exposure to telenovelas and films. For current smokers, the odds of trying to quit were significantly higher among those who saw an actor smoking in a Brazilian film. Those who believed smoking caused serious illness and had rules in the home prohibiting smoking were significantly more likely to have tried to quit or had quit smoking. Exposure to smoking in the media may be different in adults than adolescents. Influential factors for trying to quit and quitting are rules prohibiting smoking at home, belief that smoking causes serious illness, and hearing about dangers of smoking in media.