Perceptions and effects of a brief media literacy intervention targeting
adolescent alcohol use: Potential moderators of program effects
Elvira Elek1, Kathryn Greene2, Kate Magsamen-Conrad2, Smita C. Banerjee3, Michael L. Hecht4, & Itzhak Yanovitzky2
1RTI
International, Washington, DC; 2Rutgers University; 3Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; 4Pennsylvania State University
1. Introduction
3. Study Methods (continued)
4. Results (continued)
4. Results (continued)
 Media literacy-based interventions have been identified as promising
Feasibility Test
Gender (and interaction with Condition) – not significant for workshop
involvement, perceived gain, positive alcohol expectancies, descriptive norms, or
alcohol use intentions; significant interactions described below
Sensation seeking (and interaction with Condition) – not significant for
involvement, novelty, perceived gain, reflectiveness, overall liking, self-efficacy to
counterargue, positive expectancies, descriptive norms, or substance use
intentions
approaches to address adolescent alcohol use, but existing interventions
take too much classroom time and have not been evaluated rigorously or
to assess mechanisms of change.
 Pre- and immediate post-test survey (5-month follow-up post-test not included in
these analyses)
 Existing media literacy interventions generally utilize one of two modes of
providing students with the relevant information – focusing lessons on
message analysis activities and/or message planning/production
activities. Potential differences in the effectiveness of these two modes
also have not been examined.
 63% female
 73% White; 4% Black/African American; 4% American Indian/Alaska Native;
12% Asian American/Pacific Islander; and 10% Hispanic
Measures
 Curriculum perceptions - involvement, novelty, perceived gain, reflectiveness, and
 The lack of rigorous evaluation of media literacy interventions also has
resulted in a lack of assessment of potential moderators of such
interventions.
Lifetime alcohol use (and interaction with Condition) – not significant for
workshop involvement, novelty, perceived gain, reflectiveness, overall liking, selfefficacy to counterargue, positive expectancies
 174 10th grade high school students (age 14-16)
ratings of the workshop
 Outcomes - self-efficacy to counter argue, positive alcohol expectancies, norms
(perceived peer use) and alcohol use intentions
Analyses
2. Purpose
Time spent watching TV Average Weekday (and interaction with Condition) –
not significant for novelty, perceived gain, reflectiveness, overall liking, selfefficacy to counterargue, positive expectancies, descriptive norms, or substance
use intentions
Views of Advertising (and interaction with Condition) – not significant for
involvement, novelty, perceived gain, reflectiveness, overall liking, self-efficacy to
counterargue, positive expectancies, descriptive norms, or substance use
intentions
Urbanicity (and interaction with Condition) - not significant for involvement, novelty,
perceived gain, reflectiveness, overall liking, self-efficacy to counterargue, positive
expectancies, or descriptive norms; significant interaction presented below
Conclusions
 Found few significant moderating effects of the Youth Message
Development media literacy curriculum in either the pilot or the feasibility
study (the pilot study found similar gender effects). Some marginal
effects need to be considered more closely.
 Gender should be considered when revising the curriculum
Generalized Linear Model including Condition (Analysis vs. Planning) as a fixed
effect and Gender (or one of the other moderators) as a random effect and examining
their interaction to assess moderation
This poster provides a preliminary look at a number of potential moderators
of media literacy program effects including:
 Gender
 Prior lifetime alcohol use
 Urbanicity of school (small town/rural vs. city/suburban)
5. Discussion
4. Results
Limitations
Gender – Significant Interactions
 Time spent watching TV on an average weekday
 Sensation seeking
effects
Feasibility Study - Novelty
Feasibility Study - Self-efficacy to Counter-argue
5
4.5
• Does the curriculum produce better outcomes for students more at risk (e.g.
 Low overall rates of alcohol use
4
3.5
Analysis
3
Planning
Next Steps
3.5
 Use findings about moderators to revise the brief Youth Message
Analysis
3
Planning
2.5
• Do males and females differ in their perceptions of the curriculum?
 Students chosen for leadership program
4.5
4
Sample Research Questions:
 Representativeness
5
 Prior perceptions of advertisements
The examination of moderators took place in the context of two studies
comparing the two versions (Analysis vs. Planning) of the brief Youth
Message Development (YMD) curriculum. The two studies consisted of 1)
a pilot test and 2) a feasibility test.
 Sample size – limited power to conduct analyses and examine interaction
Gender – Significant Interactions
2.5
2
1.5
1
Male
those who have already used alcohol)?
1
Female
Male
Selected References
Female
• Do pre-existing positive perceptions of advertising lessen the impact of the
media literacy curriculum?
Feasibility Study - Liking
Austin, E. W., & Johnson, K. (1997). Effects of general and alcohol-specific media literacy training on
children’s decision making about alcohol. Journal of Health Communication, 2, 17-42.
Urbanicity – Significant Interaction
Banerjee, S. C., & Greene, K. (2006). Analysis versus production: Adolescent cognitive and
attitudinal responses to anti-smoking interventions. Journal of Communication, 56, 773-794.
5
Feasibility Study - Intentions to Use Alcohol
4.5
3. Study Methods
Banerjee, S. C., & Greene, K. (2007). Anti-smoking initiatives: Examining effects of inoculation based
media literacy interventions on smoking-related attitude, norm, and behavioral intention.
Health Communication, 22, 37-48.
4
4
3.5
Both Studies
 Students attending a 3-day leadership training workshop; 4-10 students per school;
over 50 schools from across Pennsylvania (representing rural, suburban, and urban
school districts)
persuasive techniques, and production features in the context of alcohol ads
3
Pilot Test
Kubey, R. (2004). What is media education and why is it important? Television Quarterly, 34, 21- 27.
Analysis
3
Planning
Analysis
2.5
Planning
2.5
2
1.5
Contact Information
1.5
1
1
Rural/Small Town
Male
Urban/Suburban
Female
 Immediate post-test only anonymous survey
 149 10th grade high school students (age 14-16)
 68% female
 78% White; 13% Black/African American; 10% American Indian/Alaska Native;
3% Asian American/Pacific Islander; and 22% Hispanic
Kupersmidt, J. B., Scull, T. M., & Austin, E. W. (2010). Media literacy education for elementary
school substance use prevention. Pediatrics, 126, 525-531.
2
 For the target activity, half of the students participated in an anti-alcohol poster
planning session while the other half analyzed anti-alcohol ads
Hobbs, R. (1998). The seven great debates in the media literacy movement. Journal of
Communication, 48, 16-32.
3.5
 75 minute curriculum (one lesson in workshop)
 All students received basic media literacy training – learning about ad claims,
 Conduct an efficacy study of the curriculum with a larger and more
diverse sample in an out-of-school setting (4H clubs in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and New Jersey)
2
1.5
Development Media Literacy curriculum
This poster was supported by grant #R21 DA027146 to Rutgers University, Kathryn Greene Principal Investigator. Its contents are solely the responsibility
of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute for Drug Abuse or the National Institutes of Health.
Presenting author: Elvira Elek
For further information:
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Phone: 202-728-2048 • Email: [email protected]
Presented at: American Public Health Association, 139th Annual Meeting,
October 2011, Washington, DC
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