New insights on the link between the marketing of alcohol and the increase in youth consumption

A landmark study found that young people are sensitized to the marketing of alcohol – and to their property-branded alcohol – to increased consumption and higher risk.

Posted in BMJ Open, research – conducted by the University of Stirling and Cancer Research UK's Cancer Policy Research Center – found that consumers aged 11 to 19 who report strong awareness of the commercialization of Alcohol is one and a half times more likely to be higher risk drinkers than those with low or medium consciousness.

Research has found that among youth who have never used alcohol, those who possess alcohol-based products are twice as likely to consume alcohol. 39 next year.

Significantly, the newspaper reports that 82% of youth remembered having seen at least one form of alcohol marketing in the month prior to the survey, with at least half of them having attended at least 32 incidents, one per day. In the meantime, one-fifth reported owning alcohol branded goods.

The study, led by Dr. Nathan Critchlow, of the Institute of Social Marketing (ISM) of the University, is the first to examine alcohol marketing awareness and to the ownership of branded products on a demographically representative sample of young people from the United Kingdom, including those from the two previous ones. and below the legal age of purchase for alcohol.

Dr. Critchlow said, "Alcohol marketing is more than just advertising, it comes in many forms, more commonly known as" marketing mix, "and we found that it was reflected in what the young people More than one-third of young people remembered seeing an advertisement for alcohol by television, celebrities and special offers the week before their participation in the survey, while more one-fifth remembered having seen advertisements outdoors or on social media.

"While alcohol use may be influenced by a variety of factors, we found that the link between alcohol marketing, increased consumption, and higher risk drinking among current drinkers was maintained even after controlling for various types of alcohol. demographic factors and sources of confusion, such as parents This was also true for the badociation between brand-name possession and susceptibility among never-drinkers. "

The study used data from the 2017 Youth Survey on Alcohol Policies, a cross-sectional survey conducted by YouGov among young people aged 11 to 19 from the UK. The weighted sample – made up of 3,399 young people – had an average age of 15.18 years, an equal distribution for both bades and 76% was below the legal age of 15.18. ;purchase. Of the weighted sample, 1,590 were current drinkers – 44% of those clbadified as higher risk – and 1,623 never drank, half of those clbadified as likely to drink the following year.

The team measured how often young people recalled seeing nine different forms of alcohol marketing in the month preceding the study, ranging from traditional advertising to the press and television. , for example; alternative marketing – such as sponsorship and competitions; and retail marketing – including price promotions.

Sensitization was also estimated over the last month and youth were clbadified into the following categories: low awareness (about every two days or less), average (about every day) and high awareness (almost twice a day) or more).

Dr. Critchlow said, "The new study provides insight into what forms of alcohol marketing young people are experiencing, how often they remember seeing alcohol marketing and related factors. to greater awareness of alcohol marketing and ownership of alcohol branded products.

"The influence of alcohol marketing on young people and the way it is self-regulating in the UK continues to be debated, and the Scottish Government's latest alcohol strategy includes consultation plans on alternative controls for the marketing of alcohol A recently adopted law to this effect Our conclusions support these steps to examine other feasible, appropriate and effective ways of reducing youth exposure. "

Dr. Jyotsna Vohra, head of Cancer Research UK's Cancer Policy Research, said, "Alcohol can cause seven different types of cancer: the mouth, bad, intestines, liver, pharynx, the esophagus and the larynx.It is responsible for nearly 12,000 cases of cancer every year in the UK, and alarmingly, only 1 in 10 people know its connection to cancer.

"The more you drink, the greater the risk, which is why the Chief Medical Officer's guidelines recommend that you do not consume more than 14 units per week as a safer level of consumption." We know that all those who drink do not develop not cancer, but it does not hurt to cut. "

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Research, Marketing and Alcohol Consumption in UK Youth, was funded by the Cancer Policy Research Center Cancer Research UK. Doctors Jyotsna Vohra, Chris Thomas and Lucie Hooper, all from the center, and Anne Marie MacKintosh, ISM, are co-authors of the work.