Young adolescents who are exposed to movies that depict high levels of alcohol use are more likely to experiment with alcohol at an early age, according to a recent study by Dr. James Sargent, a pediatrics professor at Dartmouth Medical School. Sargent, along with a team of researchers, studied over 600 films and interviewed 5,000 students to explore the causes of early alcohol use among teens.
The study expanded upon previous research, which showed that early initiation to alcohol abuse -- before age 14 -- was a major risk factor associated with alcohol abuse later in life. Previous research also concluded that depictions of alcohol use in movies have a disproportionate impact on young children, perhaps even more so than the alcohol use of parents or peers.
In the course of his research, which began in 1997, Sargent interviewed over 5,000 Vermont and New Hampshire students between the ages of 11 and 14. A pediatrician by profession, he said his concern for children encouraged his interest in this field.
"This study is aimed at the prevention of early alcohol use and our hope is that parents of young children become more aware that drinking in films is common and that seeing these depictions can lead to early experimentation with drinking," Sargent said.
The researchers studied 601 movies and found that the vast majority, 92 percent, of them depict alcohol use. Of the films included in the study, 52 percent of those rated G, 89 percent of those rated PG, 93 percent of those rated PG-13 and 95 percent of those rated R depicted alcohol use in some capacity. In the majority of these movies scenes, alcohol was portrayed in a positive light, usually included during a party or right before a romantic scene.
Sargent assessed the children's movie watching behavior and questioned each viewer as to whether ne or she had tried alcohol before. He took note of each student's academic performance, gender and personality. Two years later, he followed up with the non-drinking students and concluded that those students who were exposed to more depictions of alcohol use in films were much more likely to have started drinking.
Sargent's findings -- that the exposure of children to depictions of alcohol in movies is correlated to a greater likeliness for future alcohol use -- was published in the January issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol.
Sargent hopes that through this research parents will become more aware of what their children are watching, and more conscious of the effect it may have on the children's future.
"Parents shouldn't let their kids overeat and they shouldn't let their kids overindulge in movies," Sargent said. "One movie per week for a child 10 to 14 years old should be sufficient, but it's clear from this research that kids are watching much more than that."
It is still too early to gauge the national response to the research, Sargent said, but several Dartmouth students showed an interest in his findings.
"I think the research is very, very telling. It sounds like he's found something worth further research," Ellie Smith '09 said. "We should look at alcohol use in movies more closely when determining ratings, more so than we already do."
Sargent hopes to continue his research by looking at children nationally, not just in Vermont and New Hampshire.
