Alcohol Ads Fuel Young Adults' Drinking

The more ads they see, the more they drink, study contends

TUESDAY, Jan. 3, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- The more ads young people see about alcohol, the more they drink.

That's the conclusion of a study by researchers at the University of Connecticut, published in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Of approximately 1,900 study participants between the ages of 15 and 26 who were interviewed at least one time and up to four times between 1999 and 2001, those who reported viewing more alcohol advertisements on average also reported drinking more alcohol.

Each additional ad viewed per month increased the number of drinks consumed by 1 percent. The same percentage increase applied to underage drinkers (those younger than age 21) as well, the researchers said.

The study authors also analyzed youth drinking in relation to advertising dollars spent. They purchased information about total alcohol sales in each state and found that young people drank 3 percent more per month for each additional dollar spent per capita in their advertising market.

Young adults in markets where alcohol companies spent $10 or more per person per month in advertising increased their drinking more over time, reaching a peak of 50 drinks per month by age 25, the study found.

The alcohol industry is not bound by federal restrictions on advertising but is subject to voluntary codes dictating that 70 percent of the audience for their advertisements be adults older than age 21. The study authors reported that these ads still appear frequently in media aimed at young people.

The survey contradicts claims by the alcohol industry "that advertising is unrelated to youth drinking amounts: that advertising at best causes brand switching, only affects those older than the legal drinking age or is effectively countered by current educational efforts," the researchers said in the report. "Alcohol advertising was a contributing factor to youth drinking quantities over time."

More information

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has more about young adults and alcohol.

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