Effects of a Media Literacy Program in the US on Children's Critical Evaluation of Unhealthy Media Messages about Violence, Smoking, and Food

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Media Power Youth health-focused media literacy program. Using a susceptibility reduction strategy, this program seeks to develop participants' media-literacy beliefs and skills to enhance their ability to critically evaluate portrayals of violence, substance use, and non-nutritional eating. It was implemented in fifth-grade classes at two elementary schools in the Northeastern United States. A third school served as a nontreatment control group. Evaluation results indicated significant increases in students' understanding that (1) media violence is often glorified, unrealistic, and can make children act more violently, and (2) advertising can make smoking and fast foods look healthy and can affect children's desires and behaviors. Students' ability to apply media-literacy skills to new media portrayals was also enhanced. Findings are discussed in terms of the Habits of Thought and the Health Beliefs Models, and benefits of integrating such programs into existing courses of study are described.