Alcohol advertising may up drinking habit in adolescents

Increased exposure to alcohol-related advertisements is raising the amount and frequency of drinking among adolescents, finds a study.

The findings showed that exposure to various types alcohol marketing, including television advertisements, online marketing, sponsorship of sports, music events, or festivals, ownership of alcohol-branded promotional items, receipt of free samples and exposure to price offers are increasing adolescents' use of alcohol over time.

"Our study highlights the need to restrict the volume of alcohol marketing to which young people are exposed in everyday life," said lead author Avalon de Bruijn, Policy Advisor at the European Centre for Monitoring Alcohol Marketing (EUCAM)-- a research firm promoting knowledge and experience about alcohol marketing throughout Europe.

"It is 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," Bruijn said.

For the study, the team included more than 9,000 adolescents from Germany, Italy, 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, in the work published in the journal Addiction.

--IANS

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