CONTENT ANALYSIS

Sociologyindex Sociology Books 2012

A research method involving the gathering of data capturing one or more variables descriptive of the content of a cultural expression such as movies, newspaper stories, speeches, cartoons or advertisements. A researcher may, for example, analyze stories of sexual assault to determine how blame is allocated in such stories, or may examine the covers of popular magazines such as Time, or Maclean's to see which sex or racial group is typically depicted or to observe differences in the depiction of men and women.

Using content analysis as a research method to inquire into intellectual capital reporting 
Authors: Guthrie J.; Petty R.; Yongvanich K.; Ricceri F.
Source: Journal of Intellectual Capital, Volume 5, Number 2, 2004, pp. 282-293(12)
Abstract: Increasingly, researchers in the field of intellectual capital (IC) need to be able to justify the specific research methods they use to collect the empirical data that they examine to support and test opinions regarding the merit of different approaches to managing and reporting IC. Of the various methods available to researchers seeking to understand intellectual capital reporting (ICR), content analysis is the most popular. The aim of this paper is to review the use of content analysis as a research method in understanding ICR and to offer some observations on the practical utility of the method. Further, the paper examines several research method issues relating to the use of content analysis that have been discussed in the social environmental accounting literature, but not as yet in the IC literature, which we believe are relevant to investigations underway in the field of ICR. This paper reports on several developmental issues we have confronted when using content analysis to examine the voluntary disclosure of IC in annual reports by various organisations. The paper also suggests two theoretical foundations for further investigation into the voluntary disclosure of IC by organisations, and suggests why content analysis is well matched to both these theories as a means to collect empirical data to test research propositions. - ingentaconnect.com

Three Approaches to Qualitative Content Analysis 
Hsiu-Fang Hsieh, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan 
Sarah E. Shannon, University of Washington, Seattle 
Qualitative Health Research, Vol. 15, No. 9, 1277-1288 (2005) © 2005 SAGE Publications
Content analysis is a widely used qualitative research technique. Rather than being a single method, current applications of content analysis show three distinct approaches: conventional, directed, or summative. All three approaches are used to interpret meaning from the content of text data and, hence, adhere to the naturalistic paradigm. The major differences among the approaches are coding schemes, origins of codes, and threats to trustworthiness. In conventional content analysis, coding categories are derived directly from the text data. With a directed approach, analysis starts with a theory or relevant research findings as guidance for initial codes. A summative content analysis involves counting and comparisons, usually of keywords or content, followed by the interpretation of the underlying context. The authors delineate analytic procedures specific to each approach and techniques addressing trustworthiness with hypothetical examples drawn from the area of end-of-life care. - qhr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/15/9/1277

Content Analysis of the World Wide Web: Opportunities and Challenges 
Christopher Weare, University of Southern California 
Wan-Ying Lin, University of Southern California 
Social Science Computer Review, Vol. 18, No. 3, 272-292 (2000) © 2000 SAGE Publications
This article examines methodological issues for content analytic research of the World Wide Web. The outlines of content analysis as a systematic and quantitative scientific method for measuring the content of messages has existed for centuries. Nevertheless, its development and diffusion has been primarily spurred by the rise of mass media, newspapers in the 19th century and electronic media in the 20th century. The growth of the Internet promises to induce a similar expansion of its use and refinement of its techniques. The World Wide Web is characterized by its ubiquity, global reach, interactivity, decentralized, hyperlinked structure, and multimedia format. All of these characteristics present researchers with opportunities and challenges at each step of a content analysis: sampling, unitization, development of content categories, coding, and analysis. Based on a review of recent content analytic research, this article analyzes these issues and suggests methodological improvements for future research. - ssc.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/18/3/272

A content analysis of alcohol portrayal and drinking in British television soap operas 
Adrian Furnham, Henriette Ingle, Barrie Gunter and Alastair McClelland 
Department of Psychology, University College London 26 Bedford Way, London WC1, UK 
Health Education Research, Vol. 12, No. 4, 519-529, 1997
This study examined the portrayal of alcohol consumption in a sample of six soap operas on British television. In all, 86% contained visual or verbal references to alcoholic beverages with an average of one reference in every 3.5 min of programming. Over all of the 25 programmes monitored, more alcohol was consumed than soft drinks, at a ratio of 2.1:1, and there were hardly any references to the hazards of alcohol consumption. In contrast to previous similar studies, alcohol was found to be most prominently featured in Emmerdale Farm and hardly ever appeared in Home and Away. Also, four of the major soaps regularly showed specific brands of alcohol, in particular Eastenders. Finally, despite the observations in previous studies by others that the presentation of alcohol on television is decreasing, in comparison to three studies done in the last 10 years, alcohol portrayal appeared to be, if anything, on the increase, although problems associated with these comparisons render the results in need of replication. The quality of data yielded in many of these analyses, along with poor base-rate data, make it difficult to establish the evidence of reliable trends, though preliminary analyses were done comparing two earlier studies with data obtained in this one. However, recommendations for further studies have been made. - her.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/12/4/519

Goffman's Gender Advertisements revisited: combining content analysis 
Philip Bell, University of New South Wales 
Marko Milic, University of Western Sydney 
Visual Communication, Vol. 1, No. 2, 203-222 (2002) © 2002 SAGE Publications
An analysis of 827 advertisements from a representative sample of magazines demonstrates that an abstract framework from Systemic Functional Analysis can be used to identify the semiotic resources which are the basis for gender stereotypes. Resources such as perspectival angle, plane of composition and gaze are used to investigate stereotyped portrayals of males and females. Goffman's work, Gender Advertisements, forms the basis for hypotheses about how male and female participants would be represented in terms of eight dimensions of visual structure, derived from Kress and Van Leeuwen's system of analysis. Hypotheses were largely confirmed, indicating that gender stereotyping was still significant in the sample of Australian magazines analysed more than two decades after Goffman's analysis was first published. However, several results did not confirm the hypotheses or were contrary to the direction of differences predicted. Three types of explanations for exceptions to the hypotheses are discussed: first, the need for some degree of supplementary macrocosmic or contextual analysis; second, the possibility of socially determined changes in some features of stereotyped portrayals; and third, limitations in the functional semiotic framework of analysis adopted in this study. - vcj.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/1/2/203

Economic Conditions and Ideologies of Crime in the Media: A Content Analysis of Crime News 
Melissa Hickman Barlow, David E. Barlow, Theodore G. Chiricos 
Crime & Delinquency, Vol. 41, No. 1, 3-19 (1995) DOI: 10.1177/0011128795041001001 © 1995 SAGE Publications
This study explores the relationship between media portrayal of crime and conditions in the political economy. Based on a content analysis of articles about crime appearing in Time magazine during the post-World War II period, it is argued that news about crime is ideological, that is, it gives an inadequate and distorted picture of the contradictory reality of crime in the context of the capitalist political economy in the United States. - cad.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/41/1/3

25 Years and Going Strong 
A Content Analysis of the First 25 Years of the Social Issues in Management Division Proceedings 
Virginia W. Gerde, University of New Mexico 
Richard E. Wokutch, Virginia Tech 
Business & Society, Vol. 37, No. 4, 414-446 (1998) DOI: 10.1177/000765039803700405 © 1998 SAGE Publications
Using content analysis, the authors categorize all Social Issues in Management (SIM) Division papers and abstracts (636) from 1972 through 1996 by subject matter and methodology. Showing the development of the field over time, the authors integrate their findings into previous SIM frameworks. Adaptation to the changing business environment is apparent in the subject matter. Although terminology and context (such as employee rights concerning electronic mail) may have changed, the topics are similar. Nevertheless, evolution in the SIM field is apparent. Methodology has become much more sophisticated as researchers use existing and newly created databases and more rigorous techniques-such as event studies and meta-analysis. - bas.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/37/4/414

Systematic Content Analysis of Judicial Opinions 
MARK A. HALL, Wake Forest University - School of Law
RONALD F. WRIGHT, Wake Forest University - School of Law 
Abstract: Despite the interdisciplinary bent of legal scholars, the academy has yet to identify an empirical methodology that is uniquely its own. We propose that one standard social science technique - content analysis - could form the basis for an empirical methodology that is uniquely legal. It holds the potential for bringing social science rigor to our empirical understanding of caselaw, and therefore for creating what is distinctively a legal form of empiricism. To explore this potential, we collected all 122 examples we could find that use content analysis to study judicial opinions, and coded them for pertinent features. 
Legal scholars began to code and count cases decades ago, but use of this method did not accelerate until about 15 years ago. Most applications are home-grown, with no effort to draw on established social science techniques. To provide methodological guidance, we survey the questions that legal scholars have tried to answer through content analysis, and use that experience to generalize about the strengths and weaknesses of the technique compared with conventional interpretive legal methods. 
The epistemological roots of content analysis lie in legal realism. Any question that a lawyer might ask about what courts say or do can be studied more objectively using one of the four distinct components of content analysis: 1) replicable selection of cases; 2) objective coding of cases; 3) counting case contents for descriptive purposes; or 4) statistical analysis of case coding. Each of these components contributes something of unique epistemological value to legal research, yet at each of these four stages, some legal scholars have objected to the technique. The most effective response is to recognize that content analysis does not occupy the same epistemological ground as conventional legal scholarship. Instead, each method renders different kinds of insights that complement each other, so that, together, the two approaches to understanding caselaw are more powerful that either alone. 
Content analysis is best used when each decision should receive equal weight, that is, when it is appropriate to regard the content of opinions as generic data. Scholars have found that it is especially useful in studies that question or debunk conventional legal wisdom. Content analysis also holds promise in the study of the connections between judicial opinions and other parts of the social, political, or economic landscape. The strongest application is when the subject of study is simply the behavior of judges in writing opinions or deciding cases. Then, content analysis combines the analytical skills of the lawyer with the power of science that comes from articulated and replicable methods. However, analyzing the cause-and-effect relationship between the outcome of cases and the legally relevant factors presented by judges to justify their decisions raises a serious circularity problem. Therefore, content analysis is not an especially good tool for helping lawyers to predict the outcome of cases based on real-world facts. 
This article also provides guidance on the best practices for using this research method. We identify techniques that meet standards of social science rigor and account for the practical needs of legal researchers. These techniques include methods for case sampling, coder training, reliability testing, and statistical analysis. It is not necessary to practice this method profitably only at its highest level. Instead, we show that valuable uses can be made even by those who are largely innumerate. - papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=913336

Is Social Work Racist? A Content Analysis of Recent Literature. 
Author: McMahon,-Anthony; Allen-Meares,-Paula
Social Work, Volume/Pages 37(6) p. 533-39 
Abstract Study analyzed 117 articles on African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans published in 1980s in 4 major social work journals. Concluded that most of literature on social work practice withminorities is naive and superficial and fails to address their social context. - sfsu.edu/~multsowk/title/260.htm

Advertising Watchdogs - A Content Analysis of Print and Broadcast Ad Watches 
John C. Tedesco, Lori Melton McKinnon, Lynda Lee Kaid 
The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, Vol. 1, No. 4, 76-93 (1996) DOI: 10.1177/1081180X96001004007 © 1996 The President and Fellows of Harvard College
For years, scholars have been interested in how the media report political campaigns. Until recently, however, few researchers have focused attention on how the media cover televised political ads. In response to the increasing number of ads capturing media and public attention, we conducted a content analysis of 1992 print and broadcast presidential ad watches. The findings offer much support for previous research but point to inconsistencies in neutrality, fairness, and analysis of televised presidential ads. Findings also show a lack of coverage of Clinton in broadcast ad watches and an unsystematic coverage of candidates. We urge journalists to attempt a systematic approach to the study of televised presidential campaign ads. - hij.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/1/4/76

"Click Here" - A Content Analysis of Internet Rape Sites 
JENNIFER LYNN GOSSETT, University of Cincinnati 
SARAH BYRNE, University of Cincinnati 
Gender & Society, Vol. 16, No. 5, 689-709 (2002) DOI: 10.1177/089124302236992 © 2002 Sociologists for Women in Society
Research on pornography has distinguished between its violent and nonviolent forms. Analyses of the content of violent pornography have largely focused on readily available soft-core images in adult films and magazines. However, current research has not adequately addressed pornography on the Internet. We show that discussions about violent pornography are incomplete without an understanding of the Internet as a unique and rapidly expanding medium for disseminating images of sexual violence against women. This article attempts to fill that gap by examining violent pornography using a sample of 31 free Internet sites. Each site was analyzed for its portrayal of women victims, male perpetrators, and its story of rape. Please be advised that the analysis contains graphic descriptions of violence toward women found on Internet rape sites. - gas.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/16/5/689

"All the News That's Fit to Print": A Content Analysis of the Correctional Debate in the New York Times 
Michael Welch, Rutgers University 
Lisa Weber, American University 
Walter Edwards, Rutgers University 
The Prison Journal, Vol. 80, No. 3, 245-264 (2000) © 2000 SAGE Publications
Scholarship over the past three decades has generated considerable insight into the roles of the media, politicians, and law enforcement officials in constructing images of criminal justice; still, that body of research has rarely ventured into the realm of corrections. Filling this void, we drew a sample of 206 newspaper articles on corrections published in the New York Times for the purpose of examining news sources and their quoted statements. Our findings reveal that the New York Times relies heavily on political and government sources who--not surprisingly--express support for the prevailing correctional policies and practices. Whereas the New York Times also quoted sources critical of the government's correctional strategies, the dominance of political sources in the press offers evidence of agenda setting in the debate over corrections. - tpj.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/80/3/245

Sexism and the Social Work Curriculum: A Content Analysis of the Journal of Social Work Education 
Erlene Grise-Owens, Spalding University 
Affilia, Vol. 17, No. 2, 147-166 (2002) © 2002 SAGE Publications
Five themes of subtle and systemic sexism emerged in a content analysis of the Journal of Social Work Education, 1998-1999: discrepancies in pronoun usage, sexist language, inconsistent attention to gender as a variable or construct, and inattention to gender as a framework in understanding topics. The analysis also discovered a preponderance of nongender language, which raises questions about the implicit messages of gender-blind language. - aff.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/17/2/147

Redirecting our Voyage through History: A Content Analysis of Social Studies Textbooks 
Lauriel. Gordy 
University of South Carolina-Spartanburg 
Alice M. Pritchard, University of Connecticut 
Urban Education, Vol. 30, No. 2, 195-218 (1995) DOI: 10.1177/0042085995030002005 © 1995 SAGE Publications
At the heart of the debate over public school curriculum is the production of knowledge. The control of knowledge production is significant because it affects students' beliefs and attitudes about society. Because textbooks play such a crucial role in children's learning, multicultural education includes proposals for textbook changes to make the curriculum more representative of diverse views. This study examines the question: To what extent are social studies textbooks inclusive of diverse perspectives on U.S. history? In order to answer this question, we conducted a content analysis of the presentation of slavery in fifth-grade social studies texts being used in Connecticut. Our findings demonstrate that the majority of textbooks have reached the additive stage (including key themes and issues)for African American men and the contributions stage (including famous people and events) for African American and White women. - uex.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/30/2/195

A Content Analysis of Subject Areas and Research Methods Used in Five Hospitality Management Journals 
Seyhmus Baloglu, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, baloglu@ccmail.nevada.edu 
Lisa Marie Assante, Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts 
Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, Vol. 23, No. 1, 53-70 (1999) DOI: 10.1177/109634809902300105 © 1999 ICHRIE
An examination of past research efforts provides an understanding of research direction and boundaries of a field or discipline. This study reports the findings of content analysis performed on 1,073 main articles published in five primary hospitality management journals for a 7-year period (1990-1996) based on both subject areas focused and research methods used. The findings revealed some shifts in subject areas and statistical techniques used over the years as well as the orientation of selected hospitality journals. Most articles focused on human resource area and lodging and food service industry segment combined. Survey method was the most frequently employed research design, including nonprobability sampling techniques, whereas field studies and experiments were the least used ones. Studies using multivariate or inferential statistics showed incremental increase over the period studied, although majority of studies used descriptive and univariate statistics. - jht.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/23/1/53

A Content Analysis of Consumer Complaints, Remedies, and Repatronage Intentions Regarding Dissatisfying Service Experiences 
Alex M. Susskind, Cornell University, ams76@cornell.edu 
Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, Vol. 29, No. 2, 150-169 (2005) DOI: 10.1177/1096348004273426 © 2005 ICHRIE
Building on existing research examining customers’ complaints about service experiences, this study examined restaurant consumers’ episode-specific reactions to service failures. In the first stage of this work, restaurant patrons were asked to describe a recent service experience where they complained about some element of the service they received. From these statements a coding scheme was developed to classify the consumers’ qualitative descriptions of the service episodes where they experienced a service failure and remedy. The consumers’ reports addressed three issues:(a) the issue that triggered the complaint, (b) the complaint remedy further broken down on two dimensions based upon the degree of correction and whether the remedy produced a positive or negative outcome, and (c) how (and if) the service failure and remedy influenced repatronage intentions. Following the content analysis and the coding of the critical incidents, logistic-regression analyses revealed that the extent to which a service failure is corrected is important to customer satisfaction and satisfaction with a specific service remedy is connected to a consumer’s desire to return to the restaurant. - jht.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/29/2/150

Prevalence and Content Analysis of Guidelines on Handling Requests for Euthanasia or Assisted Suicide in Dutch Nursing Homes 
Ilinka Haverkate, PhD; Martien T. Muller, PhD; Mirjam Cappetti, MSc; Freerk J. Jonkers, MSc; Gerrit van der Wal, MD, PhD 
Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:317-322. 
archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/160/3/317
Background The growing number of requests for euthanasia or assisted suicide (EAS) makes it imperative for health care institutions, such as nursing homes, to have written guidelines on how to handle requests for EAS. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of EAS guidelines in Dutch nursing homes and to analyze the content. 
Methods Directors of patient care in 324 Dutch nursing homes were asked, by means of a mailed short list of questions, if they had an institutional guideline on EAS and, if so, to provide a copy. Guidelines were analyzed according to a structured list of items based on current jurisprudence, model documents, and opinions of experts. 
Results Of the 324 directors, 313 (97%) responded. In 58% of the nursing homes that responded, there existed written guidelines for EAS. Of those guidelines, 74% concerned EAS; in 26%, EAS was integrated in a guideline on terminal care. Of the guidelines, 165 (90%) were based on the policy that EAS is acceptable under specific conditions, and 18 (10%) banned EAS completely. Of the first-mentioned guidelines, 81% described one or more procedures for in-principle objections. In 65% of these guidelines, all official requirements for prudent practice were described. 
Conclusions: Despite the rapidly growing number of nursing-home guidelines on EAS and the existence of model documents, there is still considerable variation in the guidelines, and they can be improved in many aspects. A basic prerequisite is that the guidelines include all the official requirements for prudent practice. 

Saturday Morning Children's Television Advertising: A Longitudinal Content Analysis 
Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 
Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, Vol. 30, No. 3, 382-403 (2002) DOI: 10.1177/1077727X02030003003 © 2002 American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
The content of advertisements broadcast in 1993 and 1999 during top-ranked Saturday morning children's network television programs was analyzed and compared with dietary recommendations and advertising guidelines. Study data were compared to earlier work to create a longitudinal perspective. One fourth to one sixth of broadcast time was devoted to commercials. Over the past three decades, food was the largest advertisement category. Produce, protein-rich foods, and dairy products were rarely advertised. Advertisements for breakfast cereals and foods high in sugar or fat predominated. Food advertisements over the past 30 years are not reflective of dietary recommendations. However, most adhered to advertising guidelines. - fcs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/30/3/382

A Content Analysis Of Childrearing Information In Popular Magazines 
Colleen Lonergan Carlson, Rural Route 3, Macomb, IL, 61455 
Sedahlia Jasper Crase, Department of Child Development, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011 
Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, Vol. 11, No. 3, 223-233 (1983) DOI: 10.1177/1077727X8301100303 © 1983 American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
This study describes childrearing information in contemporary popular literature, using a content analysis of information appearing in seven popular magazines. Half of the articles addressed topics parents expressed as needs or concerns. Parents were addressed as a homogeneous group; nearly half of the articles failed to include age-specific infor mation. Medical doctors were the most frequent writers and information sources. The majority of articles failed to cite research; magazine staff writers were most likely, and professionals least likely, to cite research. Over a third of the articles were positive rather than remedial. The majority failed to recognize individual differences in childrenlparents. - fcs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/3/223

Content Analysis of the Journal of Black Psychology (1985-1999) 
Kevin Cokley, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale 
Leon Caldwell, University of Nebraska at Lincoln 
Kesi Miller, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale 
Grace Muhammad, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale 
Journal of Black Psychology, Vol. 27, No. 4, 424-438 (2001) DOI: 10.1177/0095798401027004003 © 2001 Association of Black Psychologists
Since its inception, the Journal of Black Psychology has only undergone a period of self-reflection once. To that end, this study examined the content of the Journal of Black Psychology. A content analysis of articles published for a 15-year period (1985-1999) was conducted. A total of 245 articles were classified into 15 content categories. Authors and institutions that were the most frequently published were identified and ranked. The categories of articles that received the most activity were in the areas of personality (i.e. racial identity), reactions and commentary, social behavior, and physiological functioning and health psychology. These 4 categories accounted for 52% of the articles examined. Neglected areas of research are discussed. - jbp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/27/4/424

Content Analysis of Erotic Imagery: Sex Offenders and Non-Sex Offenders 
Ami Rokach, Ontario Correctional Institute, P.O. Box 1888, Brampton, Ontario L6V 2P 1, CANADA 
Verna Nutbrown, Ontario Correctional Institute, CANADA 
Gjylena Nexhipi 
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Vol. 32, No. 2, 107-122 (1988) DOI: 10.1177/0306624X8803200204 © 1988 SAGE Publications
A descriptive framework for the context analysis of sexualfantasies was developed by examination of the verbatim reports of fantasies of sexual offenders and non-sexual offenders. Twenty-two fantasy themes, subsumed under five major categories of sexual fantasies, were identified. Application of the scale to a sample of fantasies elicited from 103 offenders revealed differences in the frequency of occurrence of various fantasy themes and categories between the sex offenders and non-sex offenders. In addition to demonstrating the diversity of the content of erotic imagery, the study results suggest that the scale may have use in the discrimination of differences relevant to the understanding of sexual deviancy. - ijo.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/2/107

Parricides in the Media 
A Content Analysis of Available Reports Across Cultures 
Denise Paquette Boots, The University of Texas at Dallas 
Kathleen M. Heide, University of South Florida, Tampa 
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Vol. 50, No. 4, 418-445 (2006) DOI: 10.1177/0306624X05285103 © 2006 SAGE Publications
This article is a content analysis of news reports of parricide cases occurring worldwide. An extensive search of online databases found coverage of more than 200 cases of children killing parents reported in the news media. Data pertaining to incidents, case-related variables (e.g., weapons used, other charges), and the processing of offenders from the initial charge through conviction and sentencing are examined. To the extent possible, media accounts are used to classify cases according to motive and Heide’s three types of parricide offenders. Twelve significant differences are discussed between U.S. and non-U.S. cases of parricide with respect to characteristics of parricide incidents, motives and other areas of clinical interest in reported parricide offenders, and Heide’s typology. The article concludes with a discussion of media representations of the phenomenon versus the actual occurrence, several observations that emerged from these news accounts, and directions for future research. - ijo.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/50/4/418

Content analysis of children's television advertising in relation to dental health 
H. D. Rodd, Senior Lecturer/Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry, School of Clinical Dentistry, Sheffield
V. Patel, Vocational trainee, School of Clinical Dentistry, Sheffield
British Dental Journal (2005); 199, 710-712. doi: 10.1038/sj.bdj.4812967 
Correspondence to: Dr Helen Rodd, Department of Oral Health and Development, School of Clinical Dentistry, Sheffield, S10 2TA Email: h.d.rodd@sheffield.ac.uk
This paper provides some disturbing facts and figures about the amount of television being watched by children. In addition, it reports on the volume and type of television advertising aimed at young people, both in the United Kingdom and other developed countries. In view of recent public and professional concern as to the possible adverse effects of food advertising on children's health, this study set out to examine what proportion of television advertisements, directed at children, promoted products potentially harmful to dental health. Forty-one hours of children's television programming broadcast on ITV1, the main UK commercial channel, were recorded on to videotape for subsequent analysis. Almost 1,000 adverts were analysed; each was timed and broadly categorised as relating to a food/drink product or non food/drink product. Advertisements for food and drink were further subdivided according to their sugar and/or acid content. We found that, on average, 24 adverts were shown per broadcast hour, which accounted for 15.8% of the total schedule time. 34.8% of adverts related to food/drink products, and 95.3% of these promoted products that were deemed potentially cariogenic or erosive. The most frequently promoted food/drink products included breakfast cereals with added sugar (26.3%), confectionery (23.7%) and non-carbonated soft drinks (18.1%). It is very concerning that, despite recent specific codes of practice outlined by the Independent Television Commission for Children's Advertising, many food and drink products promoted during children's programming are potentially damaging to dental health. - nature.com/bdj/journal/v199/n11/abs/4812967a.html

The Framing of Politics 
A Content Analysis of Three Croatian Newspapers 
Ivana Segvic, University of Texas at Arlington, segvic@uta.edu 
Gazette, Vol. 67, No. 5, 469-488 (2005) DOI: 10.1177/0016549205056054 © 2005 SAGE Publications
This study explores 11 years of content in three well-circulating Croatian newspapers, Vjesnik, Slobodna Dalmacija and Feral Tribune. Utilizing framing theory, the author examines how the three papers differed in their presentation of the Croatian government from 1990 through 2000. Using a sample of 1400 articles, the use of specific frames and the presentation of antagonists and protagonists in the articles’ content are examined. - gaz.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/67/5/469

Images of Sex and Rape 
A Content Analysis of Popular Film 
JANA BUFKIN, Drury University 
SARAH ESCHHOLZ, Georgia State University 
Violence Against Women, Vol. 6, No. 12, 1317-1344 (2000) DOI: 10.1177/1077801200006012002 © 2000 SAGE Publications
Americans are spending increasingly greater portions of their leisure time consuming audiovisual forms of media, such as movies and television. Given the regularity of media consumption and the assumption of its influence on the perceptions of viewers, it is important to study the content of media programming. In this study, we conduct a content analysis of the 50 top-grossing films in 1996 to measure the prevalence and nature of sex and rape depictions. We find that movies present a rather patriarchal vision of sex and rape. Rapes in the movies are committed by sadistic, disturbed, lower-class individuals who prey on children and the vulnerable. This unidimensional movie picture of rape may help to perpetuate the real problem of rape and sexual abuse in our society by ignoring the reality of most real life rapes. - vaw.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/6/12/1317

A Content Analysis of Web Sites Promoting Smoking Culture and Lifestyle 
Kurt M. Ribisl, PhD, Rebecca E. Lee, PhD, Lisa Henriksen, PhD, Harry H. Haladjian, BA 
Health Education & Behavior, Vol. 30, No. 1, 64-78 (2003) DOI: 10.1177/1090198102239259 © 2003 Society for Public Health Education
The present study examined smoking culture and lifestyle Web sites listed on Yahoo!, a popular Internet search catalog, to determine whether the sites were easily accessible to youth, featured age or health warnings, and mentioned specific tobacco brands. A content analysis of photographs on these sites assessed the demographics of individuals depicted and the amount of smoking and nudity in the photographs. The sample included 30 Web sites, all of which were accessible to youth and did not require age verification services to enter them. Cigarette brand names were mentioned in writing on 35% of the sites, and brand images were present on 24% of the sites. Nearly all of the photographs (95%) depicted smoking, 92% featured women, and 7% contained partial or full nudity. These results underscore the need for greater research and monitoring of smoking-related Internet content by health educators and tobacco control advocates. - heb.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/30/1/64

Content analysis and intellectual capital reporting

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