| Influence of Motion Picture Rating on AdolescentResponse to Movie Smoking |
| WHAT’S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: The US Surgeon General hasdetermined that the relationship between movie smoking
exposure (MSE) and youth smoking is causal; however, it is not known whether movie rating influences how adolescents respond. |
| WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: The response to PG-13–rated MSE wasindistinguishable from R-rated MSE. An R rating for smoking could
reduce smoking onset in the United States by 18% (by eliminating PG-13 MSE), an effect similar to making all parents maximally authoritative in their parenting. |
| AUTHORS: James D. Sargent, MD,a Susanne Tanski, MD,MPH,a and Mike Stoolmiller, PhDb |
| Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine atDartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire; and bCollege of Education,
University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon |
| KEY WORDSadolescent smoking, motion picture rating, movie smoking |
| ABBREVIATIONSCI—confidence interval
MPAA—Motion Picture Association of America MSE—movie smoking exposure |
