Committee on Pediatric Advocacy

CATCH

Media Matters

School Violence and the Media

CATCH

Community Access To Childrens Health
Division of Community-Based Initiatives
American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Blvd
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
(800) 433-9016, ext 7632 or ext 4916

Apply for CATCH Planning Funds

Contact your RI CATCH Facilitators: Peter Simon, MD & Robert Burke, MD

CATCH Planning Funds grants are awarded each year on a competitive basis to pediatricians who want to plan a local community-based initiative to increase children’s access to health care .

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

All proposals are peer reviewed by the Chapter and/or District CATCH Facilitators. Applications must demonstrate the following prerequisites:

· the initiative will include only planning activities

· the initiative will be led by, facilitated by, or have the significant involvement of a pediatrician, or pediatric resident

· the initiative will increase children’s access to a medical home or to specific health services not otherwise available

· the initiative will include plans for broad-based community partnerships

Priority will be given to proposals that:

· promote medical homes for underserved children

· demonstrate collaboration with State Child Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP) and/or state Medicaid programs

· represent new initiatives within the community

· are submitted by practicing community-based pediatricians or pediatric residents

· are submitted by applicants who have not previously received a CATCH Planning Funds grant

· provide medical homes for children with special health care needs

Planning activities may include needs assessments and community asset mapping, feasibility studies, community meetings, focus groups, and development of grant proposals.

To Apply

An application for funding must be submitted by the pediatrician who is initiating and coordinating the proposed CATCH planning project. The application form and guidelines are available from the CATCH Program. Online applications are available on the AAP Web site at www.aap.org/visit/catchgrants.htm.

To request an application form and/or technical assistance, please contact the CATCH Program office at:

CATCH Planning Funds
Division of Community-based Initiatives
American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Blvd
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
800/433-9016, ext 7632
E-mail: catch@aap.org

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Media Matters!  

Some take home messages for use in teaching ourselves, patients, and families:

Television (general):

TV watching ranks #1 as the most popular after-school activity among 6-17 year olds.

• Children watch an average of 3-4 hours of TV per day, or approximately 7 YEARS worth in a lifetime.
• 70% of parents have no restrictions on TV viewing at home.
• 57% of children ages 6-17 have a TV in their own bedroom, increasing every year. (unsupervised!)
• Out of the 3-4 hours/day of viewing, approximately 1 show/day is co-viewed with parents.
• However, 70% of parents report feeling uncomfortable with TV content their children see.

Violence and the Media:

Per year, the average teenager views: 10,000 acts of violence, 15,000 sexual references/behaviors, and 20,000 commercials including 1-2,000 beer and wine advertisements.*

• Overall, 57% of television programming contains violent content.*
• The impact of violence is rarely shown, and perpetrators go unpunished in 73% of all violent scenes.*
• Only 4% of violent programs contain antiviolence messages.*
• One-fourth of the violent scenes on television involve the use of a hand gun.*

Sex and the Media:

Soap operas contain an average of 6.1 sexual behaviors per hour, yet only 10% involve discussions of birth control or consequences of sexual activity.*

• 1/3 of teenagers believe the portrayal of teens having sexual intercourse as normal.*
• Teenagers report that media is one of the leading souces of sex information to them.*
• The "family-hour" of primetime television (8-9 p.m.) contains more than 8 sexual incidents per hour!*

Drugs, Tobacco and the Media:

In the movies, 4 times as many leading acters smoke cigarettes than the true percentage in real life

• The tobacco industry spends $6 Billion/year on advertising alone.
• The Alcohol industry spends $2 Billion/year on advertising alone.
• There is a direct correlation between the advertising money spent and cigarette brand preference by teens.
• Much evidence exists that both alcohol and tobacco campaigns target our youth, to 'enlist' new addicts. To note, the Budweiser frogs campaign was more recognizable to 9-11 year olds than Tony the Tiger, Smokey Bear and the Power Rangers!*

What Can We Do???:

Teach children that TV is not the real world.*

• Teach children that they are smarter than what they see on TV.*
• Teach children that TV keeps doing the same things over and over again.*
• Teach children that someone is always trying to make money with TV.*
• Teach children to evaluate all TV messges and commercials in the following realms:   Reality check, private versus public gain, personal values check, what's "between the lines?", stereotypes.
• Teach children that TV solutions to issues are too simple and not realistic.

Media History Taking:*

How many hours a day do you watch TV?

• How do you decide what shows to watch? Where is (are) the television (s) in your home?
• What are your favorite programs?
• Are there rule regarding TV shows, movies, music videos and/or video games?
• Who watches TV with you?
• Do you "surf" the internet? How many hours/week?

* Abstracted from: 

Strasburger, V.C., Adolescents, drugs, and the media. Adolescent Medicine: State of the Art Reviews, Vol. 4, No.2, June 1993, pp. 391-415.

Strasburger, V.C., "Sex, Drugs, Rock 'n' Roll" and the media- Are the media responsible for adolescent behavior? Adolescent Medicine: State of the Art Reviews, Vol.8, No. 3, October 1997, pp. 1-12.

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School Violence and the Media

From the AAP:

Use the following speaking points to respond to questions from reporters,
editors and producers on the issue of violence and schools.

Incidents, such as those in Littleton, CO, Jonesboro, Arkansas and Springfield, Oregon tell us that gun violence is a community problem. From pediatricians to law enforcement agencies to parents, everyone needs to pull together to protect our children.

The school environment must be safe, and children at risk of perpetrating violence must receive necessary services from pediatricians, from the schools and counseling agencies.

Question:What role does the media play in all these violent school incidents?

Answers:
Violence permeates every aspect of our children's lives, from the influence of the media to the dangers they face from guns in schools.

Children need to know that violence on TV, in the movies and in video games is not real. In real life, children have alternatives when dealing with conflict and anger.

Schools need to consider media literacy programs to educate children as part of the school health curriculum.

Parents need to know what their children are watching. They also should discuss what children see in the media and limit their children's exposure to the media. The AAP recommends that parents should limit children's TV viewing to one or two hours per day.

Question: How do children learn these violent behaviors?

Answers:
Gun violence is a symptom of a larger problem in our society. The real issue is how to raise an emotionally healthy child.

Children are learning to use violence to deal with anger and conflict by observing it through the media, in their communities and in their homes.

Schools have the obligation to teach children how to deal with anger and conflict. Media literacy and conflict management should be part of any health education curriculum.

Question:How do we identify those children who are prone to gun violence or violent incidents?

Answers:
Pediatricians and schools need to work together to identify children at risk. Once the children are identified, the schools need the resources to respond to these children's needs.

If services such as counseling are not available in the schools, then these services need to be readily accessible in the community.

We have seen the red flags that signal there is a problem with a child. Those who carry weapons to school or bully others are at risk. But also those who witness violence, those who are chronically victimized or those in isolation who lack a connection with peer groups. Absenteeism in school, threats of violence, and drug or alcohol abuse are
also red flags.

Kids can't get lost in the system. The response to identified risk behaviors, such as weapon carrying and threats of violence, need to be swift, firm and comprehensive.

Question:What is the American Academy of Pediatrics doing about this problem?

Answers:
Pediatricians should support the schools in the formation of a crisis response team.

AAP members are experts in child behavior from birth through young adulthood and are committed to countering the growing epidemic of violence.

Question: What is the AAP position on guns and children?

Answers:
The AAP supports legislation for keeping guns out of the environment where children live and play.

The AAP also recommends that parents should limit children's TV viewing to one or two hours per day.

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