The influence of rap music

Here's information on an interesting article:

Sexual Stereotypes Portrayed in Rap Music Videos Influence High-Risk Behaviors Among African-American Teenage Girls

New Rochelle, NY, October 16, 2007—African-American female adolescents who spend more time watching rap music videos are more likely to participate in high-risk behaviors such as binge drinking and sex with multiple partners, to test positive for marijuana, and to have a negative body image, according to a report in the October 2007 issue (Vol. 16, No. 8) of Journal of Women’s Health a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. ( www.liebertpub.com). The paper is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/jwh

Many psychosocial factors can adversely affect self-image, health status, and the likelihood of engaging in high-risk behaviors among adolescent girls. One such factor is exposure to rap music videos, which often portray African-American women as hypersexual and amoral and include content related to violence, sexuality, and drug and alcohol abuse.

Shani Peterson, PhD, Gina Wingood ScD, MPH, Ralph DiClemente PhD, Kathy Harrington, MPH, MAEd, and Susan Davies, from the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory Center for AIDS Research, and School of Medicine at Emory University (Atlanta, GA), and the University of Alabama, Birmingham, sought to identify whether a link exists between the amount of exposure to sexual stereotypes and risky behaviors portrayed in rap music videos and adverse health outcomes. They surveyed and interviewed 522 African-American teenage girls, asked about their rap music video viewing habits, evaluated their health status, and screened urine samples for evidence of marijuana use.

In the report entitled, “Images of Sexual Stereotypes in Rap Videos and the Health of African-American Female Adolescents,” the authors concluded, based on a quantitative assessment, that a significant predictive association exists between increased viewing of sexual stereotypes in rap music videos and likelihood to engage in binge drinking, to test positive for marijuana, and to have a negative body image.

“The findings from this study suggest that African-American girls’ perceptions of stereotypical images of women in rap music videos may contribute to adverse health outcomes,” says Editor-in-Chief Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women’s Health, in Richmond, VA. “Clearly, there is a need for greater awareness and education about the potential public health risks associated with this media exposure.”

Journal of Women’s Health is an authoritative, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal published ten times a year. Under Editor-In-Chief Susan G. Kornstein, MD, and Deputy Editor Wendy S. Klein, MD, of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women’s Health, Richmond, VA, the Journal publishes clinical and research papers on health issues affecting women across the lifespan and on gender differences in health, disease, and response to treatment.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. , is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of medical and biomedical research, including Obesity Management, Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics, and Thyroid. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 60 journals and books is available at www.liebertpub.com

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