International Links

Health educators need to help students learn to analyze and resist media messages that promote unhealthy foods, beverages, substances, body shapes and interpersonal behaviors. Here, classroom teachers will find educational resources and ideas for lesson plans and activities.

American Academy of Pediatrics The AAP's Media Matters is "a national public education campaign of the American Academy of Pediatrics, launched in 1997 to help pediatricians, parents, and children become more aware of the influence that media (television, movies, computer and video games, Internet, advertising, popular music, etc.) have on child and adolescent health.

Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is a "national coalition of health care professionals, educators, advocacy groups and concerned parents who counter the harmful effects of marketing to children through action, advocacy, education, research, and collaboration."

Center for Media Literacy This is a privately owned media literacy education consulting business based on the former non-profit of the same name. The company's website still has the excellent CML Reading Room, with many articles on health and violence-related issues, most from the former CML's Media&Values magazine.

Center for Science in the Public Interest has the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV, which seeks to reduce the amount of alcoholic-beverage advertising to underage children and young adults, who tune into televised sports for fun. CSPI's website has many links to research and articles about both alcohol and food advertising, including how children are targeted by junk food companies in schools, stores, home and through the media.

Center for Screen-Time Awareness (formerly TV Turn-Off Network). Provides "information so people can live healthier lives in functional families in vibrant communities by taking control of the electronic media in their lives, not allowing it to control them."

The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth is an outstanding site, with a gallery of alcohol advertising images you can print, research reports, fact sheets and more.

Children Now This renowned organization has excellent online materials related to children, media and health issues, including violence, obesity, body image, and more.

Commercial Alert An advocacy organization working to "keep the commercial culture within its proper sphere, and to prevent it from exploiting children and subverting the higher values of family, community, environmental integrity and democracy." Campaigns often focus on junk food advertising and similar commercial efforts to "sell" unhealthy behavioral attitudes and lifestyles.

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity This academic journal publishes research studies, some of which link media usage or media advertising with nutrition and behavior. For example, Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the U.S. was published in February 2004. Look for the small PDF link to the complete articles.

Kaiser Family Foundation An excellent source of data and ready-to-print Fact Sheets related to health and media. Their data and materials are constantly updated and highly recommended. Many studies and easy-to-read reports on children's use of TV, video and Internet, with specialized studies relatied to sex, violence, media useby children, and more.

The Lion & Lamb Project This organization is no longer active, but maintains a website for reference purposes. It's mission was to stop the marketing of violence to children. It did this by "helping parents, industry and government officials recognize that violence is not child's play – and by galvanizing concerned adults to take action."

Media Literacy Project (formerly New Mexico Media Literacy Project) Health-and-media teaching materials, including CD-roms packed with advertising clips and other ready-to-use examples of tobacco , alcohol, body image and other health-related advertising portrayals.

Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDC .Runs the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.

TV Turn-Off Network (see Center for Screen-Time Awareness)

Online Resources

About-Face “combats negative and distorted images of women in the media , and promoted positive self-esteem in girls and women of all ages, sizes, races and backgrounds through a spirited approach to media education, outreach and activism.”

Adios Barbie! A Body Image Site for Every Body  Witty and sometimes biting commentary provide support for feeling OK about yourself just the way you are. Virtual bumper stickers for your website, games and other clever ways to learn about and speak out against impossible beauty stereotypes.

AllPsychJournal -- an article on The Psychological Effects of Violent Media on Children by Aimee Tompkins.

Media Literacy Clearinghouse Follow the links on the index page on Alcohol Advertising, Body Image, Drug Ads and Tobacco Advertising.

Media Literacy Online Project  Though it is no longer kept updated, this website is a great archive of links to media literacy projects, organizations, individuals and more. The articles section pinpoints good resources on health issues.

PharmedOut is an independent project run by physicians for physicians and other prescribers. One of their goals is to "Document and disseminate information about how pharmaceutical companies influence prescribing," such as through direct-to-consumer advertising. Some very humorous resources, including the Sandwich Guide [PDF file] so that physicians may decline the free lunches provided by drug sales reps, and the [PDF file] Drug Ad Bingo exercise, which helps medical students and doctors "recognize common sales techniques used in journal pharmaceutical advertising."

Teen Health and the Media An outstanding "virtual meeting place for teens, parents, educators, health professionals, and others who share a strong commitment to teen health. Using the power of media literacy, we encourage young people to make healthy choices and to interact with the media both as critical viewers and creators." Sections on Tobacco, Alcohol and Other Drugs, Teen Sexuality, Violence, Body Image & Nutrition.

VideoGameDesignSchools - article on V is for Video Game: The Effects of Violent Media.