Alcohol ads may influence kids to booze

A new study brings out that the more advertising kids see for particular brands of alcohol, the more they

consume those brands.

The research shows substantial evidence linking alcohol advertising to underage drinking and suggests that TV ads really do influence the

amount of alcohol kids drink.

Past studies have found that underage drinkers often have a preference for the brands of alcohol they see advertised.

Lead researcher Timothy Naimi, said "But critics could say, sure, ads influence the brands underage drinkers choose, but not whether they

drink, or how much they drink in total."

However, he said his team's findings counter that argument: The more exposure kids had to brand-specific alcohol ads on TV, the greater the

total amount they consumed of those brands, even after adjusting for consumption of all non-advertised brands.

Naimi said the adjustment is important, because it takes into account the fact that those who watch more television may tend to drink more.

The findings are based on a national sample of 1,031 13- to 20-year-olds who said they'd had alcohol in the past month.

They were asked whether, in the past month, they'd watched any of 20 popular TV shows that featured alcohol commercials.

They also reported on their consumption of the 61 brands in those commercials.

The researchers measured youths' add exposure in what they term "adstock units."

On average, underage drinkers who'd seen zero units had about 14 drinks per month; that rose to about 33 per month by the time they'd

seen 300 adstock units.

Drinking levels shot up among kids exposed to more than 300 units, reaching 200-plus drinks in the past month.

Naimi pointed out, alcohol advertising is self-regulated by the industry.

Manufacturers have guidelines saying that adds should be limited to media that have a mostly adult audience, for instance.

But alcohol companies don't always follow their own guidelines, and there is no penalty for violations.

For parents, Naimi said, the findings may offer extra motivation to curb kids' time in front of the TV, particularly for programming with

alcohol advertising. In general, experts recommend that children and teenagers spend a limited amount of time each day in front of a

"screen" -- whether a TV, computer, or phone. The point, in part, is to free more time for healthier activities, such as exercising and

reading.

"This could be yet another reason to limit screen time," Naimi said.

The research was published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.