Abstract
An increasing body of research indicates that the attractive
portrayal of smoking in movies is a factor in the uptake
of smoking by young people. Indeed, a recent study by
Sargent et al suggests that in the United States, exposure
to movie smoking is the primary independent risk factor
for smoking initiation in adolescents aged 10 to 14 years,
accounting for smoking initiation in more than one third
of this group.
