Bonded: alcohol advertising and adolescent drinking
The data showed that exposure to alcohol marketing of all kinds was
positively associated with adolescents’ alcohol use over time. This link was
found in four countries of varying cultural, regulatory and drinking contexts. A study published August 3 in Addiction, finds that exposure to several
different types of alcohol marketing is positively associated with the amount
and frequency of drinking among adolescents across Europe.
These findings support the demand for legal restrictions of the amount of
alcohol marketing in the European Union, where the Audio Visual Media Services
Directive (AVMSD) is the only EU regulation currently in place. The AVMSD
regulates the content of alcohol marketing in audiovisual media but does not
restrict the amount of alcohol marketing on TV or elsewhere.
The study included more than 9,000 adolescents in Germany, Italy, the
Netherlands, and Poland. The average age was 14 years. The students reported
their drinking frequency and binge drinking as well as their exposure to a wide
range of alcohol marketing, including television ads; online marketing;
sponsorship of sports, music events, or festivals; ownership of alcohol branded
promotional items; receipt of free samples; and exposure to price offers. The
data showed that exposure to alcohol marketing of all kinds was positively
associated with adolescents’ alcohol use over time. This link was found in four
countries of varying cultural, regulatory and drinking contexts. A causal
connection cannot be proved with this kind of study but the findings are clearly
a cause for concern.
Lead author Avalon de Bruijn, of the European Centre for Monitoring Alcohol
Marketing (EUCAM), says “Europe is the world’s heaviest drinking region, and
youth drinking is particularly problematic. Our study highlights the need to
restrict the volume of alcohol marketing to which young people are exposed in
everyday life. It’s no longer just a matter of restricting television ads;
policymakers need to examine the alcohol industry’s total marketing scheme and
develop regulations that will reduce all types of alcohol marketing.”
- MNT
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