12 November 2007
Researchers:
Lesley Smith under the guidance of David Foxcroft at Oxford Brookes University.
Key findings
They found seven studies meeting the review inclusion criteria. Five were conducted in USA, one in Belgium and one in New Zealand. All were prospective cohort studies, one of which also reported data for follow-up on 18 year olds based on retrospective data collection. The studies provided data on more than 13,000 young people aged 10 to 26 years old.
Different measures of exposure were assessed in each study. For example, TV, radio, magazine, in-store alcohol advertising, watched TV show index and hours of TV and music video viewing.
Alcohol consumption was evaluated in all studies at follow-up using a variety of different outcome measures. For example, any alcohol use in the past month, any alcohol use in the past year, drinking frequency, drinking frequency at specific locations and alcohol use whilst going out.
The results of each study are described below:
- New Zealand men who recalled seeing more alcohol advertisements at age 15 drank significantly more beer at 18 years. In the same cohort, in beer drinkers aged 18, liking of alcohol advertising had a positive impact on beer consumed at age 21 years and were more likely to be heavy drinkers at 26 years.
- In Californian school children increased viewing of TV programmes with alcohol advertisements increased the chance of beer consumption one year later.
- Exposure to in-store beer displays significantly increased the chance of alcohol consumption two years later in US adolescents.
- In 15 to 26 years olds in the USA, for each additional advertisement seen the number of alcohol drinks consumed increased by 1%.
- In Californian school children for each additional hour of TV viewing per day there was a 9% increased risk of initiating drinking 18 months later.
- Increased hours of television and music video viewing were associated with higher quantity of alcohol consumed one year later in Belgian school children.
- School children in Vermont were significantly more likely to have tried alcohol for the first time at follow-up at one to two years with greater exposure to alcohol portrayals in popular movies.
