UK says that tobacco product placements are still prominent in movies

Tobacco product placements are still common in films rated suitable for kids and young teens, suggested recent research from Thorax.

Authors of the study say that active tobacco product placement is still prominent n UK films.

The researchers analyzed the occurrence of tobacco use in 15 commercially successful movies in the UK between 1989 and 2008.

The average occurrence of a five-minute tobacco interval declined from 3.5 per hour to 0.6 per hour for the selected films, marking an 80 percent fall. However, the imagery was consistent among all the films, which were approved for children and young audiences.

In the selected films, tobacco product placements were present in seven out of ten.

?The specific repeated occurrence of some brands of cigarette in some films raises the possibility that product placement by tobacco companies is still occurring,? explained the researchers.

These product placements are highly influential for children and teens, posing serious health threats.

Source: EurekAlert