Portuguese Version of the Watching TV Series Motives Questionnaire: what does this have to do with Loneliness? A Bidirectional Relationship

The objective of this study was twofold: to validate the Watching TV Series Motives Questionnaire (WTSMQ) for the Portuguese population and to understand its relationship with loneliness. WTSMQ was validated through an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Besides, multi-group CFAs according to gender were conducted having been tested four levels of measurement invariance: configural, metric, scalar, and error variance. Several multiple linear regressions were carried out to estimate the relationship between sociodemographics, series preferences, loneliness and watching TV series motives. Results showed that the Portuguese version of WTSMQ presents good psychometric properties and that configural and metric were achieved, but not scalar and error variance invariance providing some evidence that the WTSMQ operates similarly in males and females. Results also showed that gender, age, TV series preferences, and loneliness contribute to explain different dimensions of Watching TV Series Motives. Also, sociodemographic variables, TV series preferences and WTSMQ subscales explain loneliness. The relationship between the motives for binge-watching and loneliness is bidirectional; sociodemographic variables and series preferences that explain those motives and loneliness overlap. Implications for tracking problematic Binge-watching situations are discussed. (AU)

Análisis de la imagen social de la enfermera a través de las series de televisión (Periodo 2017-2020) / Nurse’s social image analysis through television series (2017-2020 period)

Introducción: durante los años 2017-2020 han aumentado considera-blemente las series de televisión gracias a las nuevas plataformas. Un gran número de ellas se ha desarrollado en entornos sanitarios. Sin embargo, el papel de la enfermera en ellas dista mucho de la realidad.Métodos: se ha utilizado como diseño la Teoría fundamentada a través del análisis de las series de televisión emitidas entre 2017 y 2020 con personajes dedicados a las profesiones sanitarias (principalmente enfer-meras). Se ha llevado a cabo un muestreo no probabilístico e intencio-nal. La recogida de datos se ha realizado a través de la visualización del material audiovisual (capítulos y guiones). Finalmente, los datos se han codificado a través de las codificaciones abierta, axial y selectiva. Resultado: tras un exhaustivo análisis de los guiones de las series seleccionadas, se han identificado los siguientes temas: Enfermeras empoderadas vs liderazgo en el entorno sanitario, Enfermeras ocultas vs secretos guardados, Rol de cuidado vs calidez humana, “Gracias por defendernos”, protagonismo dudoso, y “Jugando a ser Dios”, la reivindi-cación de la profesión. Conclusiones: los medios audiovisuales desempeñan un papel funda-mental en la construcción de la representación mental que la sociedad tiene sobre las profesiones sanitarias. Estos han hecho poco por trans-mitir una imagen realista de la Enfermería. Las enfermeras necesitan vi-sibilidad como proveedoras de cuidados con base científica y no como meras asistentes a las prácticas médicas (AU)

Introduction: during 2017-2020, the number of television series has increased considerably thanks to the new platforms. A large number of them have been developed in healthcare environments. However, nurse’s role in them is far f rom reality. Methods: grounded Theory has been used as a design through the analysis of television series broadcasted between 2017 and 2020 with characters playing healthcare professions (mainly nurses). A non-probabilistic and intentional sampling was performed. Data collection has been carried out through audiovisual material visualization (chapters and scripts). Finally, data have been coded through open, axial and selective cod-ing.Outcome: after a comprehensive analysis of the selected series scripts, the following topics have been identified: Empowered nurses vs healthcare environment leadership, Hidden nurses vs kept secrets, Caring role vs human warmth, “Thank you for upholding us”, dubious protagonism, and “Playing God”, the vindication of the profession.Conclusions: audiovisual media play a key role in building so-ciety’s mental representation of health professions. They have done little to broadcast a realistic image of Nursing. Nurses need visibility as scientifically based care providers and not as mere assistants in medical practices. (AU)

Popular media as a double-edged sword: An entertainment narrative analysis of the controversial Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.

13 Reasons Why is a Netflix original series adapted from Jay Asher's 2007 young adult novel with the same title. Season 1 premiered on March 31, 2017 and featured the sensitive issue of teen suicide along with bullying, substance use, depression, and sexual assault. Unlike the typical teen dramas on popular streaming platforms, this show was created not only for entertainment, but also to stimulate conversations about taboo topics that people often shy away from. However, it also caused significant controversy, especially criticism around the main character Hannah's suicide scene. More than three years into the initial controversy and at least two dozen scholarly publications later, this study is the first to examine the entertainment narrative content of 13 Reasons Why Season 1 to better understand how these health and social issues were portrayed in the show, what specific examples we could identify as potential behavioral modeling, and to what degree it complied with the 2017 WHO guidelines for media professionals. We used the framing theory and social cognitive theory in communication research and media studies as our guiding conceptual frameworks and a narrative analysis approach to investigate a total of 660 cut scenes in all 13 episodes. Our findings provided empirical evidence, along with contextual information and detailed examples, to demonstrate that a popular entertainment program like the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why serves as a double-edged sword. The production team's good will and due diligence are commendable. Yet, additional steps can be taken in the future to effectively promote professional resources and reduce viewers' risks, especially the most vulnerable groups.

Os desertos de Breaking Bad: sobre as novas séries televisivas e o mal-estar na cultura / Les déserts de Breaking Bad: sur la nouvelle série télévisée et le malaise dans la culture / Los desiertos de Breaking Bad: sobre las nuevas series televisivas y el malestar en la cultura / The deserts of Breaking Bad: on new television series and the malaise in culture

Resumo As séries televisivas têm ocupado cada vez mais espaço na cultura, de forma que seus conteúdos incidem significativamente nas subjetividades. Este estudo aborda as séries dramáticas desta nova era da televisão, iniciada há aproximadamente duas décadas. Atenta-se para certo mal-estar evocado por essas obras, até então incomum na programação televisiva. Toma-se a série Breaking Bad como objeto de análise delimitado e utiliza-se como referencial a pesquisa psicanalítica, que olha para o cinema enquanto linguagem singular. Neste artigo são abordados os resultados obtidos a partir da articulação da série analisada ao conceito freudiano de mal-estar na cultura. Dessas reflexões, destaca-se a dimensão espacial, que é explorada em profusão pela obra audiovisual por meio de recursos formais e que aparece de forma propícia a evocar a questão do mal-estar.

Résumé Les séries télévisées occupent de plus en plus d'espace dans la culture et leurs contenus ont influencés considérablement les subjectivités. Cette étude porte sur les séries dramatiques de cette nouvelle ère de la télévision, qui a débuté il y a environ deux décennies. On souligne le malaise suscité par ces œuvres, jusqu'alors rares dans la programmation télévisuelle. Pour délimiter l'objet de l'analyse, nous prenons l'un d'entre eux - Breaking Bad -, et utilise la recherche psychanalytique, qui considère le cinéma comme une langage singulière, en tant que référence. Cet article traite des résultats obtenus à partir de l'articulation de la série analysé au concept Freudien de malaise dans la culture. De ces réflexions, la dimension spatiale est mise en évidence, exploitée à profusion par l'œuvre à travers des ressources formelles y présent et apparaît de manière propice pour évoquer la question du malaise.

Resumen Las series televisivas vienen ocupando cada vez más espacio en la cultura y sus contenidos inciden de modo significativo en las subjetividades. Este estudio trata las series dramáticas de esta nueva era de la televisión, que se inicia hace aproximadamente dos décadas. Se atenta para cierto malestar evocado por esas obras, hasta entonces inusual en la programación televisiva. Para delimitar el objeto de análisis se toma Breaking Bad; y se utiliza como referencial la investigación psicoanalítica que piensa el cine desde un lenguaje singular. En este artículo se abordan los resultados obtenidos a partir de la articulación al concepto freudiano de malestar en la cultura. De estas reflexiones, se destaca la dimensión espacial, que es explotada en profusión por medio de recursos formales presentes en la obra y que aparece de forma propicia al evocar la cuestión del malestar.

Abstract The role played by television series within culture have become increasingly prominent over the past two decades, with their contents significantly influencing subjectivities. This study addresses dramatic series of this new television era based on the discontents arose from these works - hitherto uncommon in television programming. For that, the show Breaking Bad was analyzed under the psychoanalytic interpretation that approaches the cinema as a singular language, articulating the TV show with the Freudian concept of Malaise in culture. Of these reflections, the audiovisual work intensively exploits the spatial dimension through formal resources, figuring in a way to evoke the issue of malaise.

The potential health impact of restricting less-healthy food and beverage advertising on UK television between 05.30 and 21.00 hours: A modelling study.

BACKGROUND: Restrictions on the advertising of less-healthy foods and beverages is seen as one measure to tackle childhood obesity and is under active consideration by the UK government. Whilst evidence increasingly links this advertising to excess calorie intake, understanding of the potential impact of advertising restrictions on population health is limited. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We used a proportional multi-state life table model to estimate the health impact of prohibiting the advertising of food and beverages high in fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) from 05.30 hours to 21.00 hours (5:30 AM to 9:00 PM) on television in the UK. We used the following data to parameterise the model: children's exposure to HFSS advertising from AC Nielsen and Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (2015); effect of less-healthy food advertising on acute caloric intake in children from a published meta-analysis; population numbers and all-cause mortality rates from the Human Mortality Database for the UK (2015); body mass index distribution from the Health Survey for England (2016); disability weights for estimating disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from the Global Burden of Disease Study; and healthcare costs from NHS England programme budgeting data. The main outcome measures were change in the percentage of the children (aged 5-17 years) with obesity defined using the International Obesity Task Force cut-points, and change in health status (DALYs). Monte Carlo analyses was used to estimate 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). We estimate that if all HFSS advertising between 05.30 hours and 21.00 hours was withdrawn, UK children (n = 13,729,000), would see on average 1.5 fewer HFSS adverts per day and decrease caloric intake by 9.1 kcal (95% UI 0.5-17.7 kcal), which would reduce the number of children (aged 5-17 years) with obesity by 4.6% (95% UI 1.4%-9.5%) and with overweight (including obesity) by 3.6% (95% UI 1.1%-7.4%) This is equivalent to 40,000 (95% UI 12,000-81,000) fewer UK children with obesity, and 120,000 (95% UI 34,000-240,000) fewer with overweight. For children alive in 2015 (n = 13,729,000), this would avert 240,000 (95% UI 65,000-530,000) DALYs across their lifetime (i.e., followed from 2015 through to death), and result in a health-related net monetary benefit of £7.4 billion (95% UI £2.0 billion-£16 billion) to society. Under a scenario where all HFSS advertising is displaced to after 21.00 hours, rather than withdrawn, we estimate that the benefits would be reduced by around two-thirds. This is a modelling study and subject to uncertainty; we cannot fully and accurately account for all of the factors that would affect the impact of this policy if implemented. Whilst randomised trials show that children exposed to less-healthy food advertising consume more calories, there is uncertainty about the nature of the dose-response relationship between HFSS advertising and calorie intake. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that HFSS television advertising restrictions between 05.30 hours and 21.00 hours in the UK could make a meaningful contribution to reducing childhood obesity. We estimate that the impact on childhood obesity of this policy may be reduced by around two-thirds if adverts are displaced to after 21.00 hours rather than being withdrawn.

Associations of Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Television Viewing with Life Expectancy Cancer-Free at Age 50: The ARIC Study.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity has been associated with longer chronic disease-free life expectancy, but specific cancer types have not been investigated. We examined whether leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (LTPA) and television (TV) viewing were associated with life expectancy cancer-free. METHODS: We included 14,508 participants without a cancer history from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. We used multistate survival models to separately examine associations of LTPA (no LTPA,

Depictions of Alcohol in Australian TV 'Bachelor In Paradise': A Content Analysis.

AIMS: To quantify the depictions of alcohol in the popular Australian reality TV show-Bachelor in Paradise (season 1: 2018). METHODS: All 16 episodes were coded in 1-min intervals for the presence of alcoholic beverage related content and non-alcoholic beverage content, and the categories of actual use, implied use and other references. RESULTS: Alcohol was highly prevalent in all episodes. Alcohol content occurred frequently, with 70.7% of intervals having any alcohol content. Actual alcohol use occurred in 31.9% of 1-min intervals, implied alcohol use occurred in 63.4% of intervals and other alcohol references occurred in 14.0% of intervals. Alcohol content was present in the first or second 1-min interval of all 16 episodes. Alcohol content was more than twice as prevalent as non-alcoholic content (34.0%). CONCLUSIONS: The high volume of alcohol content depicted in the show is of concern, due to the important influence it may have on the audience. Vulnerable viewers, especially minors and young adults, are being exposed to ubiquitous alcohol references. This may influence their perceptions of normal alcohol use, their attitudes toward alcohol and their own consumption of alcohol. A stronger regulatory regime is required in Australia to protect young people more effectively from depictions in television programs.

"You took an Oath!": Engaging Medical Students About the Importance of Oaths and Codes Through Film and Television.

In this paper, we will consider the role of oaths and codes of ethics in undergraduate medical education. Studies of ethics syllabi suggest that ethics educators typically use well-known bioethics texts such as Beauchamp and Childress (Principles of biomedical ethics, 8th ed. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2019). Yet, many issues that medical students will face (as students and as physicians) are addressed by codes of ethics and oaths. We will first provide a historical survey of oaths and codes and then address how these sources of ethical guidance can be effectively used in ethics education of medical students. Oaths and codes can be engagingly taught using a range of techniques including visual narrative. Excerpts from television and film can be used to highlight challenging ethical dilemmas in a variety of settings, taking the learning from the theoretical to the more applied while offering context.

Associations Between Television Time and activPAL-Measured Duration and Pattern of Sedentary Time Among Pregnant Women at Risk of Gestational Diabetes in the UK.

BACKGROUND: Television (TV) time is associated with poor cardiometabolic health outcomes. This finding is commonly attributed to duration of sitting or patterns of sitting associated with high TV time, but there is very little evidence on this link. METHODS: Pregnant women (n = 167) at risk of gestational diabetes wore an activPAL accelerometer and self-reported their usual TV time in the second trimester. Generalized linear mixed models were used to compare objectively measured total sedentary time (ST), prolonged ST (bouts ≥30 min), and breaks in ST for all hours and evening hours (6 PM-11 PM) between those with high (≥2 h/d) and low TV time. RESULTS: Over all waking hours, those with high TV time had fewer breaks in ST than those with low TV time, exp(b) 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.86 to 0.998; there were no differences in total ST or prolonged ST between the 2 groups. Those with high TV time had significantly higher evening ST (b = 9.9; 95% confidence interval, 0.5 to 19.2); there were no differences in prolonged ST or breaks in ST during evening hours. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that high TV time may be associated with higher evening ST and fewer breaks in ST. The link between TV time and sitting patterns requires further investigation.

Gender, age, and political legitimacy: Activist (in)visibility in broadcast news, 1970-2012.

We assess whether media professionals construct stories in ways that enhance or diminish women's legitimacy as agents of change. Our analysis of 269 broadcast news stories sampled between 1970 and 2012 examines depictions of activists in five social movements-Women's Rights, Gay Rights, Immigrant Rights, Occupy Wall Street, and Tea Party-at the intersection of gender, age, and race. We find that broadcast news coverage diminishes the legitimacy of women and older activists and activists of color by underrepresenting them, presenting opponents' claims at higher rates, and reinforcing dominant cultural narratives about political authority.

Prevalence and sociodemographic factors associated with sedentary behavior in adolescents from Rio Claro-SP, Brazil / Prevalência e fatores sociodemográficos associados ao comportamento sedentário em adolescentes de Rio Claro-SP - Brazil

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence of and sociodemographic factors associated with sedentary behavior (SB) situations among adolescents from Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil, namely: (1) obligations; 2) computer/tablet and video game; 3) smartphone; 4) television; 5) total SB. It included 482 teenagers (14.4 ± 2.1 years old) from 3 public and 2 private schools. They were assessed through an identification, clinical history and socioeconomic level questionnaire; Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire, with additional questions related to SB and use of smartphones and video games; Habitual Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents; and weight and height measurement for Body Mass Index (BMI) calculation (kg/m²). Descriptive analysis was performed, Student's t test was run to compare SB situations and level of physical activity between boys and girls, and logistic regression was carried out to verify the association of the situations with total SB (p <0.05). Results revealed that 47.5% of the adolescents spend more than 14 hours/day on SB (mean of 13.7 ± 3.4 hours/day). The situations associated with total SB were: smartphone (OR=6.23; p<0.001); computer/tablet and video game (OR=2.5; p=0.012); obligations (OR=2.43; p=0.009) and TV (OR=2.35; p=0.009). High SB prevalence was found, but there was no sociodemographic factor associated with this behavior. Additionally, smartphone use presented a greater association with high amount of time for total SB.

RESUMO O objetivo do estudo foi analisar a prevalência, os fatores sociodemográficos e o comportamento sedentário (CS) associados as situações do CS (1) obrigações; 2) computador/tablet e videogame; 3) smartphone; 4) televisão; 5) CS total) de adolescentes de Rio Claro-SP. Participaram do estudo 482 adolescentes (14,4±2,1 anos) de 3 escolas públicas e 2 particulares, avaliados por um questionário de identificação, anamnese clínica e nível socioeconômico; Questionário de Comportamento Sedentário, com questões adicionais relacionadas ao CS e o uso de smartphones e videogames; Questionário de Atividade Física Habitual para Adolescentes; e mensuração do peso e estatura para o cálculo de Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC) (kg/m²). Realizou-se análise descritiva, teste t de Student para comparar as situações de CS e nível de atividade física entre meninos e meninas e regressão logística para verificar a associação das situações com o CS total (p<0,05). Identificou-se que 47,5% dos adolescentes permanecem mais de 14 horas/dia em CS (média de 13,7±3,4 horas/dia). As situações associados ao CS total foram: smartphone (RO=6,23; p<0,001); computador/tablet e videogame (RO=2,5; p=0,012); obrigações (RO=2,43; p=0,009) e televisão (RO=2,35; p=0,009). Relatou-se alta prevalência de CS, porém não houve nenhum fator sociodemográfico associado com esse comportamento. Adicionalmente, o uso do smartphone apresentou maior associação com o alto tempo de CS total.

Why Thirteen Reasons Why may elicit suicidal ideation in some viewers, but help others.

When the popular Netflix series 13 Reasons Why (13RW) debuted, scholars were quick to raise concerns that the show may encourage suicide as an option, particularly for vulnerable audience members; nonetheless, others pushed back, noting that the evidence used to draw a link between exposure to media and actual suicide risk suffers from methodological weaknesses and that censoring mental health topics may do more harm than good. The problem highlighted by the debate is that researchers generally lack the kinds of studies that would truly help us understand if a show like 13RW is problematic, and if it is, which specific storylines carry risk. Indeed, this general lack of the empirical evidence is precisely why the study by Arendt and his colleagues (2019) in this issue makes such an important contribution to the literature. With this commentary, I (1) review what we know and what we don't about the media, 13RW, and suicide, (2) discuss Arendt et al.'s unique insights, and (3) outline an agenda for future research that will allow us to better answer how, when, and for whom exposure to media stories like 13RW harms - or helps - youth.

Degraded image enhancement by image dehazing and Directional Filter Banks using Depth Image based Rendering for future free-view 3D-TV.

DIBR-3D technology has evolved over the past few years with the demands of consumers increasing in recent times for future free-view 3D videos on their home televisions. The main issue in 3D technology is the lack of 3D content available to watch using the traditional TV systems. Although, some sophisticated devices like stereoscopic cameras have been used to fill the gap between the 3D content demand and 3D content supply. But the content generated through these sophisticated devices can not be displayed on the traditional TV systems, so there needs to be some mechanism which is inline with the traditional TV. Furthermore, the huge collection of existing 2D content should be converted to 3D using depth image-based rendering techniques. This conversion technique can highly contribute in overcoming the shortage problem of the 3D content. This paper presents a novel approach for converting 2D degraded image for DIBR 3D-TV view. This degraded or noisy/blur image is enhanced through image dehazing and Directional Filter Bank (DFB). This enhancement is necessary because of the occlusion effect or hole filling problem that occurs due to imperfect depth map. The enhanced image is then segmented into the foreground image and the background image. After the segmentation, the depth map is generated using image profiles. Moreover, Stereoscopic images are finally produced using the DIBR procedure which is based on the 2D input image and the corresponding depth map. We have verified the results of the proposed approach by comparing the results with the existing state-of-the-art techniques.

Screens, Teens, and Psychological Well-Being: Evidence From Three Time-Use-Diary Studies.

The notion that digital-screen engagement decreases adolescent well-being has become a recurring feature in public, political, and scientific conversation. The current level of psychological evidence, however, is far removed from the certainty voiced by many commentators. There is little clear-cut evidence that screen time decreases adolescent well-being, and most psychological results are based on single-country, exploratory studies that rely on inaccurate but popular self-report measures of digital-screen engagement. In this study, which encompassed three nationally representative large-scale data sets from Ireland, the United States, and the United Kingdom ( N = 17,247 after data exclusions) and included time-use-diary measures of digital-screen engagement, we used both exploratory and confirmatory study designs to introduce methodological and analytical improvements to a growing psychological research area. We found little evidence for substantial negative associations between digital-screen engagement-measured throughout the day or particularly before bedtime-and adolescent well-being.

Investigating harmful and helpful effects of watching season 2 of 13 Reasons Why: Results of a two-wave U.S. panel survey.

RATIONALE: The Netflix show 13 Reasons Why (2017) aroused widespread concern regarding potential contagious effects of its graphic depiction of an adolescent girl's suicide and the events that led to her death. OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of the second season of the show in 2018. METHOD: We recruited a sample of young adults (ages 18-29; N = 729) with access to Netflix who completed surveys shortly before and one month after the release of the show's second season. Based on theories of narrative empathy, we hypothesized that those who discontinued watching the show would be most vulnerable to its adverse effects on suicide-relevant outcomes. We further identified a higher risk subset of viewers who were more likely to have stopped watching the first season (those currently enrolled in school) in order to observe if the show had more adverse effects on this audience. Finally, we examined effects of the show on all viewers' intentions to help a suicidal person as a prosocial consequence of viewing the entire second season. We used both covariance and "genetic" matching to control for selection effects. RESULTS: In support of predictions, viewers who stopped watching the second season exhibited greater suicide risk and less optimism about the future than those who continued to the end. However, unexpectedly, current students who watched the entire second season reported declines in suicide ideation and self-harm relative to those who did not watch the show at all (ps < .01). Moreover, those who watched the entire second season were also more likely to express interest in helping a suicidal person, especially compared to those who stopped watching. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that a fictional story with a focus on suicidal content can have both harmful and helpful effects.

Extraordinary minds, impossible choices: mental health, special skills and television.

Over the last decade, there has been an increase in the number of televisual protagonist and major secondary characters specifically identified within the text as having a diagnosed mental illness. This is a significant development in the context of characters with a mental illness on television, who were previously usually minor and heavily stigmatised. A key trend with these new protagonists and major characters is the attribution of special talents or powers associated with mental health conditions. This paper analyses the discursive construction of this trope in five recent television series: Sherlock (UK, BBC, 2010-), Homeland (USA, Showtime, 2011-), Perception (USA, TNT, 2012-2015), Hannibal (USA, NBC, 2013-2015) and Black Box (USA, ABC, 2014). Theoretically, this paper draws on Sami Schalk's formulation of the 'superpowered supercrip narrative', which refers to the 'representation of a character who has abilities or "powers" that operate in direct relationship with or contrast to their disability'. This paper is also indebted to Davi A Johnson's 'Managing Mr. Monk' (2008) for its discussion of mental illness as attaining 'social value' through becoming a resource with economic and ethical value, as do the conditions of the fictional characters explored in this article. Schalk's work on disability is here expanded to a more specific discussion of mental illness on television, while Johnson's work is updated to discuss whether the newer characterisations reflect the same rhetorical positioning as Monk (USA, USA Network, 2002-2009), one of the earliest texts celebrated for featuring a lead, sympathetic character clearly and explicitly identified with a mental health condition. Of the five lead characters examined here, three are figured as responsible for their symptoms because they have chosen not to take medication or withdraw from their medication. It is concurrently presented that if they do take medication, it dampens their abilities to perform valuable work in the community, thus removing their use value within the world of the series.

Television and Magazine Alcohol Advertising: Exposure and Trends by Sex and Age.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to document exposure to alcohol advertising by sex, age, and the level and type of alcohol people consume. METHOD: We use unique marketing survey data that link the media individuals consume and advertising appearing in those media. Our sample of 306,451 men and women represents the population age 18 and older living in the 48 contiguous United States between 1996 and 2009. We measure advertising exposure not with the standard expenditure data but with counts of actual advertisements people likely saw. We relate advertising exposure across groups defined by age, gender, and the amount of beer, wine, and spirits consumed. RESULTS: We found that drinkers, particularly young male drinkers, see much more alcohol advertising. Men, especially younger men, see more advertisements for alcohol of all types than do women. Their higher exposure is largely explained by sex differences in the propensity to read sports and adult magazines and to watch sports and gambling television programs. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence highlights the need to recognize, and when possible, control for the fact that a selected group of individuals is more likely to see alcohol advertising. Firms successfully place advertising on programs and in magazines viewed by youth and drinkers. To estimate whether seeing advertising causes people to drink (more), researchers need to develop clever identification strategies.

Talk shows and t-tests: Applying an analogy from late-night television to biostatistics in an introductory drug information course.

PURPOSE: The use of patient cases to demonstrate the applicability of new knowledge to pharmacy practice is common; however, cases can be a challenge in first-year pharmacy courses as students have often not yet acquired sufficient knowledge in pharmacology, therapeutics, and pharmacy practice. In these situations, the use of analogy to link the educational content to a lived experience may be more effective. DESCRIPTION: This article presents my experience with applying an analogy from popular culture, specifically a game on a network late-night talk show, to a first-year pharmacy course on drug information. INTERPRETATION: An informal assessment of students' familiarity with the talk show found that most had seen at least one episode of the show and the specific game being used as the comparator in this analogy. The widespread availability of video clips online can provide additional opportunities for students unfamiliar with the comparator to receive this exposure. The use of this analogy added interactivity, humor, and mixed-media teaching to the classroom. Future applications of this and similar analogies will try introducing the analogy in reverse order - by first presenting the video of the comparator and then describing its relevance to the course content to ensure the analogy is relevant to most students before it is linked to course material. CONCLUSIONS: Teaching strategies in the first year of pharmacy education must consider students' existing level of therapeutic knowledge. When this knowledge is insufficient to ensure accurate and comprehensive understanding of patient cases, analogy may provide an effective alternative strategy.

Personal and behavioral correlates of total and domain-specific sedentary behaviors in older Taiwanese adults.

BACKGROUND: Evidence of the harmful health effects of sedentary behavior is emerging; however, little is known about domain-specific sedentary behavior correlates. Thus, in this study, the personal and behavioral correlates of total and domain-specific sedentary behavior in older Taiwanese adults were identified. METHOD: The sample comprised 1046 older adults (aged ≥65 years). Cross-sectional data on self-administered personal behavioral variables and time spent engaging in domain-specific sedentary behavior were obtained using computer-assisted telephone-based interviews. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Those aged older than 75 years were less likely to have longer total sedentary, computer use, and transportation times. Compared to women, older men were more likely to have longer total sedentary and transportation times. Older adults with low educational levels were less likely to have longer total sedentary and computer use times but were more likely to have an excessive television (TV) viewing time (≥2 h/day). Older adults who lived alone and were overweight had a longer TV viewing time. Furthermore, unemployment was associated with an excessive TV viewing time and shorter transportation time. Older adults residing in nonmetropolitan areas had lower total sedentary, TV viewing, and computer use times. Older adults who engaged in insufficient leisure time physical activity were more likely to have longer total sedentary and transportation times. CONCLUSIONS: Both common and distinct personal and behavioral factors were associated with total and domain-specific sedentary behavior. Interventions for reducing total and domain-specific sedentary behavior should focus on both common and distinct subgroups of the Taiwanese older population.