Mass media and drug prevention. Classic and contemporary theories and research

ENGLISH :
This book tells the story of the mass media's potential in the war against drug abuse. It is based on scientific evidence on the use of media in health promotion and disease prevention. Past approaches - successes and failures alike - are included to help enlighten future programs of research and practice. Advice about the logical steps that must be taken to help alleviate the crisis of drug abuse is featured throughout. The idea for this book began when the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) launched the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign-one of the most ambitious social intervention programs and most expensive drug-abuse prevention efforts ever undertaken. The program involves the use of the mass media to inform children and their parents about the dangers of drug abuse and to facilitate their rejection of illicit drugs. Dr. Alan Leshner, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, sets the stage for and situates the content of the book historically and scientifically. Part I reviews the early history of mass media theory and provides details on the regularities found in media influence research. Approaches and variables that work, and those that don't work, are described. Part II features promising theoretical approaches and the research that has given rise to their optimistic evaluations. It highlights the media that can succeed in motivating healthy behavior as well as the many pitfalls to avoid. Part III contains chapters that consider the methods available to evaluate mass-mediated persuasion, and that quantitatively summarize the research results in the field. The final chapter presents an evaluation of scientists' use of the media from the standpoint of media professionals. (Editor' s abstract)