Incidental depiction of cigarettes and smoking in Australian magazines, 1990–1993

Abstract

The study aimed to assess evidence of any increase in apparently incidental photographic depictions of cigarettes or smoking in Australian magazines following the ban on tobacco advertising in the print media introduced in January 1991. We examined 27704 pages in 20 Australian magazines popular among young people or aimed at low socioeconomic groups during three sample periods in 1990 (before the ban), 1991 and 1993 (after the ban). All photographs showing cigarettes or smoking were counted and a smoking rate per page was calculated. When all 20 magazines were combined, there was a 75 per cent increase in the rate of photographs of smoking per page from 1990 (six months before the ban) to 1991 (six months after the ban). However, there was a reduction of 36 per cent in the rate of smoking photographs per page between 1991 and 1993 (18 months after the ban) and a nonsignificant increase of 12 per cent across the three sample periods. Photographs of smoking are infrequent in Australian magazines (mean: 1:147 pages, range: 1:17 pages to zero). There appears to be a commendable constraint by many Australian magazine editors in limiting the publication of photographs that show smoking or cigarettes. Some magazines never show smoking indicating that a goal of total absence of photographs of smoking is achievable. Some magazines have room for improvement.

Young adults' perceptions of smoking actors

“…In the past, tobacco companies have paid film producers to show tobacco products and brand names (Magnus, 1985;Landman, 1992;Chapman et al 1995). While some people, such as Dr Col Owen, President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, believe that tobacco companies are still paying to have cigarettes placed in films (he cites "Superman II", "Beverly Hills Cop", "First Blood") (Zinn, 1996), it is generally accepted that paid tobacco placements have ceased since the signing of the Master Agreement.…”

Portrayal of tobacco smoking in popular women's magazines: a content analysis

“…[19,20,27] Since paid-for advertising is now illegal the tobacco content we have found is either happening by chance, or because editors seek or choose to include it, or because celebrities and others involved in the fashion industry consciously choose or else condone publication of images of them smoking. Any payment to induce choices to include brand imagery would be illegal under TAPA, but the possibility remains that some tobacco content arises from the work of product placement companies, as outlined in an e-mail exchange dating from before TAPA.…”

Four Arguments against the Adult-Rating of Movies with Smoking Scenes

“…This epidemiological alchemy invites us to accept that these legions of children only smoke because of their exposure to movie smoking and that the resilience of this influence is so great that it retains a vice-like grip all the way through to the eventual death of these young smokers decades later, unmodified by other influences throughout these years. A lifetime of exposure to the sight of smoking in uncounted public, social, and family situations; years of exposure to tobacco advertising and promotions still rampant in the US and many other nations; exposure to smoking scenes often by the same influential movie and music stars in magazines [15], music videos [16], and on YouTube [17]—indeed “all the above” and more are ignored because of the impossibility of reliably quantifying such ubiquitous exposure over many years.…”