Some interesting observations about smoking in film:

Today's moviegoers are more likely to see the "bad guys" light up than the educated, well-heeled heroes.

"Most investigators have concluded that smoking is portrayed as glamorous and positive, but our study shows that the exact opposite is true," says the study's author, Karan Omidvari, MD, FCCP, of the Heart and Vascular Institute at St. Michael's Medical Center in Newark, N.J., in a news release.

"Additionally, different studies in the past have subjectively concluded that movies are attempting to influence different groups of minorities to smoke. We have contradicted these findings as well." "Children and adults of all ages can be influenced by what they view in movies," writes Paul A. Kvale, MD, FCCP, president of the American College of Chest Physicians. "This study emphasizes the need for responsible filmmaking when it comes to portraying smoking, which is an extremely addicting and deadly habit." The depiction of tobacco as sexy and cool may be a reason for increased smoking initiation among teens, write the researchers.

(Connor, "Movie 'Bad Guys' More Likely to Light Up", Aug.8)