The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #70187

Robert McCannon, MA¹, Mike Loughrey, PhD², Elisabeth Gleckler, MPH, DrPH³, and Damon Scott¹. (1) Albuquerque Academy, New Mexico Media Literacy Project, 6600 Wyoming Blvd, NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109, 505-828-3129, scottd@aa.edu, (2) Albuquerque Public Schools, New Mexico Media Literacy Project, 5115 Sunningdale Ave., NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110, (3) Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 7713 Sycamore Street, New Orleans, LA 70118-4224

Alcohol and tobacco companies use media to make their products appear attractive. Media literacy education is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and produce messages. This skill is important in today’s media-saturated world, particularly for youth to whom much of the media is targeted. Much of the media is emotional and held up to the light of assessment becomes less persuasive.

In this presentation, the media literacy training concerned how cigarette marketing is targeted to youth. Deconstruction of the tobacco industry techniques should help to offset their influences. Media literacy is a relatively new health promotion method and this poster helps explain the components that make it effective. Examples and several studies demonstrate its effectiveness for tobacco control.

The key components that make media literacy effective for youth are a focus on cognitive processing of messages instead of reacting to emotional appeal, explaining an underlying economic construction of tobacco promotion, deconstruction of actual techniques used in persuasion of youth and practical application of learned skills to a countermarketing assignment.

Three studies examine the effect of media literacy training on youth and will be presented in table format. The trainings were in middle and high schools in New Mexico. Results indicate some race, gender and age differences. Several examples of middle and high school student counter marketing efforts, which were created during media literacy training, will be presented demonstrating the application of skills learned by youth in the training.

Learning Objectives:

• At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
• Identify the key components of a media literacy training that make it effective;
• Describe three examples of media literacy in school programs for tobacco control; and
• Implement a media literacy activity in a school with youth.

Keywords: Media Literacy, Tobacco Control

Related Web page: www.nmmlp.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: New Mexico Media Literacy Project
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Executive Director