Differences in the Portrayal of Health Risk Behaviors by Black and White Characters in Popular Films

Abstract

Adolescent exposure to risk in film has been associated with behavior. We coded Black and White character involvement in sex, violence, alcohol use, and tobacco use, and combinations of those behaviors in popular mainstream and Black-oriented films (film n = 63, character n = 426). Health risk portrayals were common, with the majority of characters portraying at least one. Black characters were more likely than Whites to portray sex and alcohol use, while White characters were more likely to portray violence. Within-segment combinations of sex and alcohol were more prevalent for Black characters, while violence and alcohol were more prevalent for Whites. Throughout a film, Black characters were more likely than White characters to portray sex and alcohol, sex and tobacco, and alcohol and tobacco. Risky behaviors are prevalent, but types portrayed differ between Black and White characters. This may have implications for health disparities in Black and White adolescents.

Funding

This study was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (Grant Number 1R21HD079615). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NICHD.

Notes

¹ www.boxofficemojo.com was used for the Black-oriented films instead of Variety magazine because Variety only includes the top 100-grossing films for the year. Many Black-oriented films are low earners at the box office, and those films would have been excluded if relying on Variety alone, leaving very few Black-oriented films for coding.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (Grant Number 1R21HD079615). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NICHD.