“What’s Happening…?” An overview of sexual content in black-themed television programming. Brian C. Gordon, M.A., CHES Mike A. Perko, Ph.D., CHES, FAAHE The University of Alabama College of Human Environmental Science Department of Health Science

Introduction The media is consistently cited by adolescents as a major health resource, and is second only to school sex education as the leading source for information about sex. (5) African Americans watch more TV on average during primetime (7- 11pm) than any other race, with African American teens watching 7 hours and 55 minutes per day compared to 6 hours and 33 minutes viewed by the total U.S. teen population. (7) Given this amount of TV exposure, what is the influence on African Americans and their health risks, including risky sexual behavior and initiation? Little is known about the effects of sexual content in media aimed at African American adolescents. (4)

Purpose To discuss what is known about the exposure of African American adolescents to sexual content presented in television programming aimed specifically at an African American audience.

Methods Search of health-related databases using the following terms: –African American adolescents and TV –Sexual content in media – Sexual messages on TV –Adolescents and media – Sex in media Databases searched: –Ebscohost – ERIC (EBSCO: Online) –PsycInfo – JSTOR – Academic Search Premier –Google Scholar

Methods (cont.) Studies were included if they: –Investigated sexual content in television –Investigated the influence of sexual messages on the attitudes or behavior of adolescents –Had a target audience between 10 and 17 years of age –Included African American adolescents as primary target audience

Results Limitations: –Previous research analyzing sexual content on TV, exposure of adolescents to TV, and effects of exposure had the following limitations: Researchers assessed TV viewing without considering sexual content Subjectively rated “sexiness” of shows Inappropriate study designs Limited sampling methodology Small sample size

Results (cont.) Among the eligible studies: –Kaiser Family Foundation biennial studies are the only ongoing monitoring of sexual content on TV: In 2004, researchers concluded that sexual content is lavish on TV; however, sexual risk and responsibility messages are uncommon and of little significance. (6) WWE: Smackdown and America’s Next Top Model which aired on UPN, a network favored by African American adolescents, were the only two shows analyzed for sexual content. (6) *Refer to Table 1 for network ratings for adolescents.

Results (cont.) To date, only 1 longitudinal study has used a representative sample to investigate the influence of sexual content on adolescents: –Researchers concluded heavy exposure to sexual content on TV predicted sexual initiation. (3) –Additionally, exposure to portrayals of safe sexual practices and sexual risk was predictive of delayed sexual behavior for African American adolescents only. (3)

Conclusion Few existing studies on media exposure and sexual attitudes and behaviors have targeted African American adolescents. Studies have documented a high prevalence of sexual content in programs viewed by a primarily White adolescent audience. No studies have analyzed the prevalence of sexual content in television programs targeted to a minority adolescent audience.

Implications The adolescent population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, with African American adolescents having the highest exposure to TV, magazines, radio, and advertisements; therefore, future research is needed to: –Determine the prevalence of sexual content presented in electronic and other media targeted to minority audiences –Determine the nature and extent to which programs are targeted to specific population groups based on race and gender, and the sexual content presented –Survey minority adolescents to determine the influence TV and other media has on their sexual attitudes and behaviors

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