Dina L G Borzekowski

• Ed.D.
• Professor at University of Maryland, College Park

Health warning labels on cigarette packages are one way to reach youth thinking about initiating tobacco use. The purpose of this study was to examine awareness and understanding of current health warning labels among 5 and 6 year old children. Researchers conducted one-on-one interviews with urban and rural 5 and 6 year olds from Brazil, China, In...

Background: In May 2013, Angelina Jolie revealed in a New York Times opinion piece that she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy because she had a family history of cancer and carried a rare mutation of the BRCA1 gene. Media coverage has been extensive, but it is not obvious what messages the public took from this personal health story. M...

Background: Prosmoking messages, delivered through marketing and the media, can reach very young children and influence attitudes and behaviors around smoking. This study examined the reach of tobacco marketing to 5 and 6 year olds in 6 low- and middle-income countries. Methods: Researchers worked one-on-one with 5 and 6 year olds in Brazil, Chi...

A team of researchers were investigating the impact of a Nigerian adaptation of Akili and Me when the COVID−19 pandemic struck. Schools shut down, interrupting the study’s quasi-experimental intervention design. Post-school reopening, researchers recontacted 363 children (mean age = 5.1, SD = 1.1 years) who had provided data at baseline and had com...

Around the world, well-produced television programming can engage vulnerable, hard-to-reach audiences by offering informal education and enrichment. Akili and Me is an animated children’s educational program available in Sub-Saharan Africa that provides age and culturally appropriate lessons. In 2018, the producers created socio-emotional and healt...

Along with emerging literacy and numeracy, spatial skills and reasoning set the foundation for young children’s school readiness and early education. This study explored introducing an innovative curriculum for promoting young children’s spatial learning in Morogoro, Tanzania. Four hundred twenty-eight children from 21 schools participated; 11 scho...

COVID-19 messages vary around the world, and populations receive these messages in different ways. Children are a vulnerable audience, especially in terms of risk communication. As messages are being developed, communicated, and disseminated about this pandemic, it is important to know the relation between COVID-19 knowledge and concern among pread...

Children are particularly impressionable and at risk during a global public health crisis, making it essential to examine their unique perspectives. To hear and understand sub-Saharan African children's experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted an exploratory qualitative analysis based on interviews with 51 children, ages 9 to 13, from N...

Children are particularly impressionable and at risk during a global public health crisis, making it important to examine their unique perspectives. To hear and understand sub-Saharan African children’s experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted an exploratory qualitative analysis based on interviews with 51 children, ages 9 to 13, from N...

An international study in 42 countries inquired children’s perception of the coronacrisis, their knowledge on COVID-19 and the role the media play in this.

An international study in 42 countries inquired children’s perception of the coronacrisis, their knowledge on COVID-19 and the role the media play in this. URL: http://www.br-online.de/jugend/izi/english/publication/televizion/33_2020_E/Goetz_Mendel_Lemish-Children_COVID-19_and_the_media.pdf

In the past, researchers would consider media’s impact on youth in terms of three “Cs”: consumption, content, and context. This article introduces a new construct—constancy—which supplants the previous terms. Constancy refers to the ubiquitous and continuous state of connected screens in the lives of children and adolescents. Constancy characterize...

A B S T R A C T While educational media can affect young children's development, rigorous studies rarely occur in low and middle income countries. Using an experimental design, researchers investigated the effect of an educational television series (Galli Galli Sim Sim (GGSS), the Indian version of Sesame Street) with 1340 children in 99 preschools...

Children in developing countries often lack sufficient support for early learning skills prior to beginning school. This research evaluates an educational media intervention using an animated cartoon program, Akili and Me. The program was originally created in Tanzania to teach early learning skills. This program was adapted in content and language...

Abstract Objectives: This qualitative study conducted in India examines the implications and challenges of using media to enhance early childhood education. Methods: In-depth interviews occurred in Delhi and Mumbai with eleven experts. Eligibility required that experts have direct experience with young children or have participated in the creation...

Background: Although in recent years, an increased number of young adult smokers have used flavored e-cigarettes, little research has been conducted to explore young adult smokers’ perceptions about e-cigarette flavors. Methods: This study used qualitative methods to examine young adult smokers’ perceptions towards e-cigarette flavors, their intent...

Introduction: E-cigarettes with fruit and candy flavors are appealing among young adults. This study examined the prospective predictors of young adults' flavored e-cigarette use to inform regulation and prevention efforts. Methods: We used the wave 1 (2013-2014) and wave 2 (2014-2015) data of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PAT...

Childhood obesity is a global public health concern. Previous research, mainly conducted in developed countries, suggests that marketing and media exposure is associated with unhealthy eating behaviors. This cross-sectional study was done with 2422 children, mean age 5.5 years, SD = .5, from six low- and middle-income counties (LMICs) (Brazil, Chin...

This article evaluates a pilot intervention of Sesame Workshop’s “Cleaner, Happier, Healthier” media program promoting water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among vulnerable children and their families in impoverished areas of Bangladesh (n = 240) and India (n = 258). Raya, a new Muppet® was developed and introdu...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the factors influencing young children’s (aged three to five years) understanding of brand symbolism. Design/methodology/approach Multiple hierarchical regression was used to analyse the relationships between age, gender and environmental factors, including family and the media, on the development...

Objectives: Research indicates youth e-cigarette use may lead to the use of conventional cigarettes, but the specific effects of flavored e-cigarettes-which greatly appeal to youth-are unknown. Therefore, this study examines how flavored e-cigarette use predicts cigarette smoking susceptibility among youth non-smokers. Methods: We used 2014 Nati...

Background: Alcohol marketing is known to be a significant risk factor for underage drinking. However, little is known about youth and adult exposure to alcohol advertising in digital and social media. This study piloted a comparative assessment of youth and adult recall of exposure to online marketing of alcohol. Methods: From September to Octo...

Study background: This study is part of a multi-year project monitoring the effect of Galli Galli Sim Sim (GGSS), the Indian production of Sesame Street, on child development and health. We aimed to identify health issues facing Indian children and offer recommendations to GGSS. Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews with 203 experts who had exp...

Educational media can positively impact young children; however, few studies have been conducted in developing countries. Researchers investigated the impact of an animated educational series, where participants were randomized to see Akili and Me versus other popular programs. In interviews with children, researchers assessed measures before and a...

Background Tobacco use in India is a major health concern; however, little is known about the influence of tobacco-related social and environmental cues on tobacco use. This study uses ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine real-time tobacco use and exposure to social and environmental cues. Methods In Hyderabad and Kolkata, participants...

Background: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) uses real-time data collection to assess participants’ behaviors and environments. This paper explores the strengths and limitations of using EMA to examine social and environmental exposure to tobacco in urban India among older adolescents and adults. Objective: Objectives of this study were (1) to...

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) uses real-time data collection to assess participants' behaviors and environments. This paper explores the strengths and limitations of using EMA to examine social and environmental exposure to tobacco in urban India among older adolescents and adults. Objectives of this study were (1) to describe the methods u...

Children at earlier stages tend to be more susceptible towards different types of tobacco messages. These are able to influence attitudes and behaviours around smoking. This study examined how these messages are able to influence 5- and 6-year olds' attitudes about smokers and their smoking intentions. Researchers worked one-on-one with 5- and 6-ye...

The extensive availability of online health information offers the public opportunities to become independently informed about their care, but what affects the successful retrieval and understanding of accurate and detailed information? We have limited knowledge about the ways individuals use the Internet and the personal characteristics that affec...

This study investigated whether underage drinkers with varied media use patterns differentially consume popular brands of alcohol. A survey was conducted with a national online panel of 1,032 underage youth 13-20 years of age who had consumed at least 1 drink in the past 30 days. A latent class analysis identified four distinct media use patterns....

We investigated the population-level relationship between exposure to brand-specific advertising and brand-specific alcohol use among US youth. We conducted an internet survey of a national sample of 1031 youth, ages 13-20, who had consumed alcohol in the past 30 days. We ascertained all of the alcohol brands respondents consumed in the past 30 day...

Background: The purpose of this pilot study is to describe trends in alcohol portrayals on entertainment TV programs most popular among 12-20 year olds in order to explore normative influences on youth drinking. Methods: Nielsen data were used to identify five TV programs in each year between the 2002/2003 season and the 2011/2012 season with the h...

Media can deliver health and safety messages promoting child health and injury prevention. This study examined the effects of message framing and parental mediation on children's perceptions of fire-safety messages. Using a 2 × 3 randomized experimental design, this study considered both message framing (gain or loss) and parental mediation (no med...

Background: Little is known about brand-specific alcohol consumption among underage youth, as existing information is collected at the level of alcoholic beverage type. This study identifies the alcohol brands consumed by a nationally representative sample of underage youth in the United States. Methods: We obtained a national sample of 1,032 un...

While midlife and older adults (ages 50+) are less likely to use the Internet than younger age groups, they are the largest growing group of Internet adoptees. This study examined Internet use habits of adults ages 50 years and older as it related to health information seeking. A diverse sample of adults ages 50 to 70 years completed questionnaires...

Much concern has been raised over pro-eating disorder (pro-ED) website communities, but little quantitative research has been conducted on these websites and their users. To examine associations between levels of pro-ED website usage, disordered eating behaviors, and quality of life. We conducted a cross-sectional, Internet-based survey of adult pr...

Historically and currently, media messages around body shape and size emphasize the importance of being below-average weight for women and hypermuscular for men. The media messages around physical appearance are not realistic for most and lead to body dissatisfaction for most adolescents. Interventions designed to mitigate the influence of negative...

The Internet, in contrast to in-person interactions with health providers, allows anonymous and nonpunitive ease of access. Adolescents have long sought honest, direct answers to important but embarrassing questions about health; emerging technologies provide a venue to obtain relevant information without geographic, time, financial, and personal b...

Objectives. To determine joint effects of message framing and parental mediation on children's learning. Background. Fire- and burn-related accidents harm more than 100,000 children annually. It is not known whether messages should be framed positively (safe behaviors, positive outcomes) or negatively (unsafe behaviors, negative outcomes) to teac...

The abstract for this document is available on CSA Illumina.To view the Abstract, click the Abstract button above the document title.

Jalan Sesama was developed to address the developmental needs of Indonesian children ages 3 to 6 years. Using a randomized experimental research study design, this study examined the effect of a 14-week intervention on 160 children in the Pandeglang District in Indonesia’s Banten Province. Results offer solid evidence that early cognitive skills, l...

The Internet offers Web sites that describe, endorse, and support eating disorders. We examined the features of pro-eating disorder Web sites and the messages to which users may be exposed. We conducted a systematic content analysis of 180 active Web sites, noting site logistics, site accessories, "thinspiration" material (images and prose intended...

Kilimani Sesame, a media intervention that employs print, radio, and television, was developed to entertain and educate preschool children in Tanzania. This study examined the effects of a six-week intervention delivering Kilimani Sesame material to 223 children in the rural district of Kisarawe and the city of Dar es Salaam. Results offer evidence...

Objective: To better understand how people with serious mental illness and substance use disorders use the Internet to receive health information. Methods: One hundred people with severe mental illness (SMI) were interviewed in community mental health clinic settings during 2007. Access and use of media (e.g. Internet) as well as barriers to Inte...

The theoretical approaches of Paulo Freire, Jean Piaget, and Lev Vygotsky frame the consideration of children and health literacy. This article includes a general discussion of literacy from the Freirian perspective. A definition of health literacy is then presented; first, the established meaning is introduced, but then a Freirian extension is pro...

This study examined how people with serious mental illness access and use media to receive health information. One hundred people with serious mental illness were interviewed regarding their media use, with a focus on how they get their health information. Among these participants, 91% had a television (M+/-SD=5.7+/-4.6 hours per day), and 74% indi...

To determine whether people with serious mental illness (SMI) and substance use disorder (SUD) use the Internet to receive health information. One hundred people with SMI were surveyed in community mental health clinics. Participants with SUD were significantly less likely to use the Internet compared to those who without SUD (.34 [.12-.95] p = .04...

To address childhood obesity, interventions need to be developed that improve adolescents' food choices. While challenging, it is vital to work with middle school students as they are becoming more autonomous in their food choices. Emerging concerns about appearance are not reflected in young adolescents' food choices and these poor choices can hav...

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children > or = 2 years of age limit daily media exposure to < or = 1 to 2 hours and not have a television set in children's bedrooms. However, there are limited prospective studies to address how timing of media exposure influences children's health. Our goal was to examine relations among children's e...

There are 2 ways to think about emerging technology and adolescent health research. First, one can try to understand the relationship between technology and adolescent health. This line examines whether time spent using emerging technologies or being exposed to messages and applications are associated with poorer or better health. The second way lo...

This widely respected resource continues to deliver practice-focused, useful information you won't see anywhere else. Topics in E-Health include "Novel Implementations of Information Technology in Support of Adolescent Health Knowledge Acquisition," "Extending Electronic Health Records to Improve Adolescent Health," "Office-Based Computerized Risk-...

In developed countries, adolescents go online to find information about health; however, little is known about the online practices of youth from developing countries. This study's purpose was to explore and provide current information, drawn from adolescents living in Ghana's capital city of Accra, on the use of the Internet as a health informatio...

The objectives of this study were as follows: (1) to determine the extent of agreement between adolescents' perceptions of sex-partner concurrency (having a partner who has other overlapping sexual partnerships) and their partners' self-reported concurrency, and (2) to identify the relationship-level factors associated with agreement. Adolescents a...

In the context of adolescent smoking adoption, this study examined the presumed influence hypothesis, a theoretical model suggesting that smoking-related media content may have a significant indirect influence on adolescent smoking via its effect on perceived peer norms. That is, adolescents may assume that smoking-related messages in the mass medi...

Evidence for adverse effects of screen media exposure has led to recommendations to limit children's screen time. This paper describes a randomized controlled trial of SMART (Student Media Awareness to Reduce Television), an 18-lesson, theory-based classroom curriculum to reduce screen time among third and fourth grade children in two matched publi...

Emerging research on adolescents and the Internet should be thoughtfully considered, especially with respect to the influence of Internet activities on mental health and psychiatric conditions. A given Internet site may have content that would be helpful to one, have no effect on another, and be harmful to yet an-other adolescent. The effect on the...

This article reviews the literature on body image and media use among adolescents. We begin by defining body image and how it is constructed, especially among young people. We then offer information on when one's body image perception is askew with one's perception of personal ideal, which can result in disordered eating, including obesity, anorexi...

Recent reports indicate that Latinos, the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States, are disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS. College health professionals, therefore, should understand current sexual behaviors and risk factors among Latino youth. The authors assessed students' condom use at their most recent sexual encounter...

To examine how subject payment was associated with study features, such as investigator characteristics and project specifics, among randomly selected studies using adolescent subjects. Using Psychinfo we gathered a list of original research studies published in 1999 that used adolescent subjects. We randomly selected corresponding authors and mail...

To examine the proportion of girls engaging in vigorous physical activity in a sample of inner-city adolescent girls and to identify factors associated with this level of exercise. In addition, to report perceived barriers to exercise. Prospective cross-sectional survey. Primary care health center. Females residing in a large northeastern city aged...

To examine adolescents' use of and attitudes toward accessing health information through the Internet. Cross-sectional, school-based survey. A socioeconomically and ethnically diverse sample of 412 suburban New York 10th graders (mean [SD] age, 15.8 [0.68] years). Accessing the Internet for health information. Half (49%) of the sampled adolescents...

Objective To examine adolescents' use of and attitudes toward accessing health information through the Internet. Design Cross-sectional, school-based survey. Participants A socioeconomically and ethnically diverse sample of 412 suburban New York 10th graders (mean [SD] age, 15.8 [0.68] years). Main Outcome Measures Accessing the Internet for he...

As the Internet grows in popularity and importance, many have raised concerns over access and content, especially with regard to young people and health information. This paper begins with a brief discussion on Internet access issues. It follows with a section addressing Internet health content and provides a critique of three examples of current I...

Objective To examine whether televised food commercials influence preschool children's food preferences.Design In this randomized, controlled trial, preschool children viewed a videotape of a popular children's cartoon either with or without embedded commercials. Children were then asked to identify their preferences from pairs of similar products,...

To examine whether televised food commercials influence preschool children's food preferences. In this randomized, controlled trial, preschool children viewed a videotape of a popular children's cartoon either with or without embedded commercials. Children were then asked to identify their preferences from pairs of similar products, one of which wa...

Background: With the burgeoning growth of the Internet, many have raised concerns over whether and how underserved populations might be included in the Information Revolution. This study examines how urban adolescent girls access the Internet and whether it is a viable source for health information. Methods: During Fall 1999 in New York City, 176 g...

To determine in what ways adolescents perceive public service announcements (PSAs) in general and, more specifically, anti-violence health messages. Seventy-nine adolescents who were involved with the issue of violence (39 pro-social, 40 incarcerated) participated. These youth were from four sites (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Detroit, Michigan, Alb...

Purpose: To determine in what ways adolescents perceive public service announcements (PSAs) in general and, more specifically, anti-violence health messages.Methods: Seventy-nine adolescents who were involved with the issue of violence (39 pro-social, 40 incarcerated) participated. These youth were from four sites (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Detro...

To examine the relationship between use of electronic media and perceived importance of appearance and weight concerns among adolescent girls. Physical measures and self-report surveys were obtained from 837 ninth-grade girls attending pubs lic high schools in San Jose, California (mean age = 14.9 +/- 0.47 years; 36% Latino, 24% White, 22% Asian, 8...

In recent years, anti-violence public service announcements (PSAs) have been broadcast on commercial and cable networks. This study examined if and how teenagers' demographics and background variables were related to the perceptions of several anti-violence PSAs. This was a pencil-and-paper survey that had teenagers provide information about their...

Context: In recent years, anti-violence public service announcements (PSAs) have been broadcast on commercial and cable networks.Objective: This study examined if and how teenagers’ demographics and background variables were related to the perceptions of several anti-violence PSAs.Design: This was a pencil-and-paper survey that had teenagers provid...

This paper examines measures of children's television viewing. We performed ten video case studies to replicate and extend work addressing “in what ways do parent and child estimates and descriptions of television viewing resemble those observed using in‐home videotape observations?” Mothers’ general estimates were more accurate than children's est...

A perceptual bias, the third person effect, has been observed where individuals believe themselves to differ from others regarding the perceived influence of media messages. Given the frequency with which youth encounter prosmoking messages and the reported negative effects of these messages, it is of value to study whether youth perceive cigarette...

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To assess the effect of the tobacco industry's marketing practices on adolescents by examining the relationship between their receptivity to these practices and their susceptibility to start smoking. Paper-and-pencil surveys measuring association with other smokers, exposure to tobacco industry marketing strategies, experience with smoking, and res...