MICDS

affect people or their

health? The media

affects our health in a

variety of ways. For

example, the more

someone researches

the internet, the less

stressed they would

be when it comes time

for a presentation.

Also, the media can

influence our eating

habits, and our emo-

tional states. Things

like watching the T.V.

affect people’s health.

There has even been

research on how the

media can influence

cancer care. There

are so many ways that

the media affects the

environment that peo-

ple should know for

their own well-being

and benefit.

What is the media?

When most people

hear the word

“media,” they auto-

matically think of T.V,

movies, and maga-

zines. These are only

a few of the examples

of media. By defini-

tion, the media is “A

means of mass com-

munication, such as

newspapers, maga-

zines, radio, or televi-

sion.” (Dictionary.co

m, 1). This could

mean anything from

books to the internet,

or radio to television.

No matter what any-

one does, the media

surrounds everyone

and is a big part of a

lot of people’s lives.

Just researching for a

project is considered

using the media.

There is no way out of

it, and there is no

need to get rid of it.

So, the next question

would be obvious:

How do the media

Influence of Media

Cancer Care Research is a big part of

what people do with the

media. This research can

be vital for anything from

an assignment to finding

out about diseases. Accord-

ing to Health Magazine,

people who use the media

to search for cancer care

have a better chance at

getting the latest treat-

ments. (Health, 1). They can

get their information from

the internet and other

sources such as the T.V.

While not all sources are

reliable, it has been tested

that research is great for

cancer care. Scientist, Dr.

Gray, says “people who

used the media to get infor-

mation about colon cancer

and its treatment were 2.8

times more likely to have

heard about these newer

treatments and 3.2 times

more likely to have gotten

these treatments, compared

to those who did not re-

search their dis-

ease.” (Health, 1). It’s

amazing what the media

does for people. Unfortu-

nately, there is also a very

evil side to the media. It can

be as extreme as death.

NOVEMEBER 24, 2009 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

MEDIA AND HEALTH

Inside this issue:

Media Influence 1

Cancer Care 1

Suicide 2

Eating Disorders 2

Violence 2

Watching TV 3

Sources/Resources 4

http://www2.newpaltz.edu/

~walterme/violence/

teenhealth.jpg

gressively and affects them

as adults years

later." (Media Awareness

Network, 1). In some of the

T.V. shows, now, there are

no negative consequences

for violent actions. People

laugh at others pain in

these shows. If a young

child watches these, it

could make them believe

that they wouldn’t be in

Every day on T.V,

there is some show

that will contain

violence. Not to

mention, there are

plenty of video

games with vio-

lence. Some, like

Professor L. Rowell Hues-

mann, say “exposure to

media violence causes chil-

dren to behave more ag-

trouble. The more they

watch, the less impact the

punishments have on the

kid. It could eventually lead

to being a violent person as

an adult. Children learn

from what goes on around

them, and when the media

shows violence, they learn

from that. Watching T.V.

can also affect the child’s

health physically.

Suicide

Violence

are. Ads for clothing show-

ing beautiful people, ads

telling everyone how to be

thinner and better, and

characters on shows where

the fat and ugly are outcasts

and the pretty are popular.

People look at these and

want it: They suddenly feel

ugly and want to be thin

and beautiful. These

thoughts eventually lead to

not eating which is ano-

rexia (a eating disorder) or

eating a lot and then throw-

ing it up called bulimia

(another eating disorder.)

The media promotes these

thoughts and these disor-

ders without completely

meaning to. The media

also promotes things that

are just as bad. One of them

is violence.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are com-

mon all people, especially

teenage girls. According to

Something Fishy (a Website

for Eating Disorders),

“approximately one in

every one hundred teenage

girls may develop an eating

disorder.” (Something

Fishy, 1). It seems as if eve-

ryone someone looks,

something will be stressing

how important good looks

“approximately

one in every

one hundred

teenage girls

may develop an

eating

disorder.” (Som

ething Fishy, 1).

Page 2

MEDIA AND HEALTH

The negative ef-

fects of the media

are absolutely aw-

ful. Suicide is de-

fined as killing

oneself. Suicide is

one of the worst

ways to end some-

one’s life. When

the media report a

suicide of any kind,

it can rile up many

young people. According

to Suicide and Mental

Health Association Inter-

where the hero shoots

himself) was published,

“many young men used

the same methods to com-

mit suicide.” (SMHAI, 1).

When a celebrity commits

or is believed to have

committed suicide, peo-

ple, especially the young,

that looked up to them

may follow the same path.

A suicide that only existed

in the media could quickly

become real for someone

else. The media affects

people in other, less ex-

treme, negative ways. It

can start to involve eating.

http://www.ucc.org/media-

justice/mvf2009/

mvf_main_graphic.jpg

http://ocw.mit.edu/NR/rdonlyres/

F598EB27-0ACB-43ED-8BC4-

4B0AB633CE66/0/

Course_CMS_image.jpg

While it’s okay to watch a

little television every now

and then, watching it exces-

sively can be bad for some-

one’s health. When people

watch the television, they

aren’t thinking or using

their brains. This makes it

hard for the brain to start

back up again when

needed. Also, some people

get addicted to it because

they don’t want to live their

own life. Watching T.V. can

become an escape from

real life and make people

feel like they are living a

nicer, more fun life inside

the television. This is a false

escape. No matter how long

a person watches the T.V,

they are going to have to

face the challenges of real

life. For example, work,

cleaning, and paying the

bills. Watching the televi-

sion all the time will only

waste money and make the

person fat because they are

not exercising. Avoiding

exercise is not good for the

body because it will start to

use more energy for

smaller tasks. That will

make them harder to do.

Ultimately, Watching the

T.V. is not beneficial for the

health of a human being.

Watching TV

Page 3

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/

corporate/imagebank/displays/w3207tv_300.jpg

http://compuserve.hit.bg/index_files/

computers.jpg

http://dericbownds.net/uploaded_images/

brain_agency.jpg

Deteriorating

brain

MICDS

Resources

Bibliography

Kim, Brian. “The Harmful Effects of watching Too Much Television.” The Definitive Guide to Self Im-

provement. 31 Oct. 2006. 14 Nov. 2009. < http://briankim.net/blog/2006/10/the-harmful-effects-of-watching

-too-much-television/>.

Laxson, Joan. "Eating Disorders (1980s)." American Decades. Ed. McConnell, Tandy. Online ed. De-

troit: Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center - College Edition. Gale. MARY INSTITUTE & ST LOUIS DAY

SCHOOL. 24 Nov. 2009 <http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do?

&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=SRCCE-

1&docId=EJ2113103012&source=gale&srcprod=CCRA&userGroupName=sain62671&version=1.0>.

“Media.” Dictionary.com. 2009. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://www.micdslibrary.com/

bibliographyhelp.html#websitePAGE>

“Media and Suicide Prevention.” Suicide and Mental Health Association International. 01 July 2009.

13 Nov. 2009. <http://suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational.org/preventionmedia.html>.

Reinberg, Steven. “Media Influences Cancer Care.” Health. 23 Feb. 2009: pages not given.

“Research on the Effects of Media Violence.” Media Awareness Network . 2009. 14 Nov. 2009.

< http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/violence/effects_media_violence.cfm>.

Something Fishy. 2007. The Something Fishy Website on Eating Disorders. 14 Nov. 2009. < http://

www.something-fishy.org>.

Sources:

National: Health Magazine. Their phone number is 1-800-274-2522, and they don’t specify an address. I spoke with

Debra Richman who is the vice-president of public relations. The services this magazine supplies is to inform people of

how to stay healthy in many different ways. This can help you find more information because you can call or e-mail

someone and ask questions about the media and health. They answered mine, so they should answer any one of your

questions.

Local: Castlewood Treatment Center for Eating Disorders. Their phone number is 888-822-8938 and their address is

Castlewood Treatment Center 800 Holland Rd. St. Louis, Missouri 63021. I spoke with Mark Schwartz who is one of the

clinical co-directors there. The services they provide are to help people who have eating disorders. They will help be-

cause you can learn a lot more about eating disorders and ask about how they are affected by the media.

School: Dead End: a Book About Suicide. Author: John Langone. The book is about basically what the title says: suicide.

It talks about the attitudes towards suicide, why people want to commit it, and how to help a person who is thinking

about suicide. This will help you get a better understanding of what suicide is and how much of an impact it can bring.

With this better understanding of suicide, you can make connections from that to the media.

Website: LimiTV is a website about why people shouldn’t watch so much T.V. It is also about young children and the

affect television has on their minds. This is a great place to go to learn even more about the health effects of watching too

much T.V. There is also a broader understanding of what it does to young people. http://www.limitv.org/health.htm