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Portrayals of Reproductive and Sexual Health on Prime-Time Television

Prime-time broadcast television provides health information and establishes norms for millions of people in the United States (Beck, 2004; Brodie et al., 2001; Murphy & Cody, 2003; Rideout, 2008). To understand what people may be learning about reproductive and sexual health, a content analysis was conducted of story lines from the 10 most popular prime-time television programs in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Variables that were measured included the frequency of reproductive and sexual health issues, the level of health information, the type of information portrayed, the gain and loss frames, the presence of stigma, the tone, and the type of role model portrayed. Eighty-seven of the 589 health story lines dealt with reproductive and sexual health, and the most common issues were pre- and postterm pregnancy complications. The majority of these story lines had a moderate or weak level of information and included specifics about treatment and symptoms but not prevention. Just over half of the issues were framed in terms of losses, meaning nonadoption of a behavior change will result in negative outcomes. Twenty-four percent of reproductive and sexual health story lines involved stigma—usually stigma related to sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Most story lines were portrayed as serious and the majority of issues happened to positive role models. The implications of these portrayals for the viewing public are discussed.