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Media Influences on Health

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The media — everything from television, radio, and film to games, advertising, and social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter — can have significant impacts on individual and population health. Exposure to media, especially among youth, may affect health behaviors such as substance use, sexual activity, and eating habits.

Research Brief

Drinking It In: The Impact of Alcohol Advertising on Kids

May 23, 2018

On average, adolescents see three alcohol ads per day. Exposure to these ads led youth to view alcohol and drinking more positively.
Q&A

How Marijuana Ads Affect Youth: Q&A with Elizabeth D'Amico

Aug 21, 2018

RAND's Elizabeth D'Amico discusses her research on how medical marijuana advertising influences adolescents' use of—and positive attitudes toward—the drug. Los Angeles County used her findings to limit the placement of marijuana billboards and signage outside dispensaries.

Explore Media Influences on Health

Commentary

Split-Screen Pandemic Recovery Isn't Sustainable

In a world connected by commerce and the air we breathe, it's hard to see how any COVID-19 recovery that's confined to specific segments of the population is sustainable. Failing to address gaps in the pandemic response would run the risk that a future mutation of this virus could send us scurrying for cover. Again.

Jul 20, 2021
Commentary

How Truth Decay Is Fueling Vaccine Hesitancy

A recent poll found that more than a quarter of Americans will not try to get vaccinated. The spread of misinformation and disinformation, which is rampant over social media, is one of the factors fueling vaccine hesitancy. And in turn, it's threatening our ability to end the pandemic for good.

May 14, 2021
News Release

Public Trust of the Centers for Disease Control Falls During Coronavirus Pandemic

Public trust in the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has fallen during the coronavirus pandemic, with the decline bringing overall population-level trust in the agency to the same lower level of trust long held by Black Americans about the agency.

Apr 5, 2021
Report

Trust in the CDC Declined During the COVID-19 Pandemic

From May to October 2020, some Americans lost trust in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The drop in trust was particularly significant among people who intended to vote for a candidate other than Joe Biden in the 2020 election or did not intend to vote at all. This suggests that views of the CDC are now strongly politicized.

Apr 5, 2021
Multimedia

Overcoming Hurdles to Herd Immunity

RAND senior physician policy researcher Mahshid Abir describes several hurdles to achieving herd immunity to COVID-19, including the politicization of the vaccine and the spread of misinformation.

Jan 8, 2021
Report

Cross-Agency Evaluation of DoD, VA, and HHS Mental Health Public Awareness Campaigns: Analysis of Campaign Scope, Content, and Reach

This report evaluates efforts by four public awareness campaigns to overcome negative perceptions and promote awareness of mental health disorders and their treatment, with a focus on military and veteran populations.

Jan 29, 2020
Research Brief

Evaluating Public Awareness Campaigns to Promote Military and Veteran Mental Health

This brief describes the results of an interim evaluation that examined the scope, content, and dissemination of mental health public awareness campaigns. RAND researchers conducted a comprehensive evaluation of four such efforts.

Jan 29, 2020
Research Brief

Make the Connection: Findings and Recommendations

This brief is one in a series examining mental health public awareness campaigns' messages, consistency of messaging in their materials, and tools used to deliver content to audiences. This brief discusses materials from the Make the Connection.

Jan 29, 2020
Research Brief

Real Warriors Campaign: Findings and Recommendations

This brief is one in a series examining mental health public awareness campaigns' messages, consistency of messaging in their materials, and tools used to deliver content to audiences. This brief discusses materials from the Real Warrior Campaign.

Jan 29, 2020
Research Brief

Recovery Month: Findings and Recommendations

This brief is one in a series examining mental health public awareness campaigns' messages, consistency of messaging in their materials, and tools used to deliver content to audiences. This brief discusses materials from Recovery Month.

Jan 29, 2020
Research Brief

Veterans Crisis Line: Findings and Recommendations

This brief is one in a series examining mental health public awareness campaigns' messages, consistency of messaging in their materials, and tools used to deliver content to audiences. This brief discusses materials from the Veterans Crisis Line.

Jan 29, 2020
Commentary

Meghan Markle May Avoid the Spotlight After Giving Birth and Send a Powerful Public Health Message

Meghan Markle plans to break from royal tradition by declining to present her baby to the public on the the steps of the maternity ward, hours after giving birth, with flawless hair and makeup. This could bring attention to many of the postpartum challenges faced by women everywhere.

Apr 11, 2019
Journal Article

SOVA: Design of a Stakeholder Informed Social Media Website for Depressed Adolescents and Their Parents

An online behavioral intervention for depressed adolescents and parents includes two moderated social media websites (one for adolescents, one for parents); both use similar content and both leverage the benefits of social media tools.

Jun 28, 2018
Journal Article

Persistence of Shifts in Beliefs Associated With Exposure to Alcohol Advertising Among Adolescents

Youths are exposed to an average of three alcohol ads per day-and black and Hispanic youths' exposure is roughly double that of white youths—and the effect of a single exposure can last up to two days.

Jun 21, 2018
Journal Article

Showing Adolescents Graphic Anti-Smoking Posters May Encourage Some to Try Smoking

Exposing teens to graphic anti-smoking posters may actually increase the risk that some start smoking. Some teens who viewed a poster depicting gruesome displays of smoking-caused diseases actually reported being more susceptible to cigarette smoking after viewing the displays during a shopping trip.

Feb 13, 2018
Commentary

Does Social Media Depression in Young People Really Exist?

What are the mental health risks to adolescents and young adults from the use of social media? And how can young people and social media companies manage these risks?

Feb 6, 2018
Journal Article

Effects of Antismoking Media on College Students' Smoking-Related Beliefs and Intentions

Among college students, anti-smoking media messages appear to shift the beliefs and intentions of experimental smokers, a group that is at high risk of becoming regular smokers.

Jan 25, 2018
Journal Article

Sexual Media and Childhood Well-being and Health

Incomplete brain development pushes adolescents to engage in risky behaviors and may affect the extent to which sexual media content is sought and acted on.

Dec 18, 2017

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