For more than a decade, scientists at iRT have conducted groundbreaking research on the impact of media literacy education for substance abuse prevention. Recently, Dr. Janis Kupersmidt, an expert on this topic, co-authored a chapter entitled “Media Literacy and Smoking” in the newly-published International Encyclopedia of Media Literacy.
The encyclopedia – which is available now – aims to be a reference for students, teachers, and scholars interested in the field of media literacy. Dr. Kupersmidt’s entry provides a detailed look into how media literacy education (MLE) has been effectively used to teach substance abuse prevention programs with a focus on the prevention of smoking. The chapter provides a comprehensive review of the literature as well as suggestions for future research. Included in the entry are results from evaluations of the effectiveness on tobacco use of three of iRT’s media literacy education programs: Media Detective, Media Detective Family, and Media Ready.