Smoking occurs in 75 percent of movie hits

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Cigarette smoking is pervasive in movies, occurring in three-quarters or more of box-office hits, U.S. government and non-profit officials said.

Identifiable cigarette brands appear in about one-third of movies, the 684-page National Cancer Institute report said. The report provides the most current and comprehensive analysis of more than 1,000 scientific studies on the role of the media in encouraging and discouraging tobacco use.

Much tobacco advertising targets the psychological needs of adolescents, such as popularity, peer acceptance and positive self-image and the advertising creates the perception that smoking will satisfy these needs, leaders from the federal government and the nation's public health community said at a news conference in Washington.

The report concludes that mass media campaigns can reduce smoking, especially when combined with other tobacco control strategies. However, youth smoking prevention campaigns sponsored by the tobacco industry have been generally ineffective and may actually have increased youth smoking, the report said.

The tobacco industry spent $13.5 billion on cigarette advertising and promotion in the United States in 2005, the report said.