Does Industry-Driven Alcohol Marketing Influence Adolescent Drinking Behaviour? A Systematic Review

Abstract

AimTo systematically review evidence on the influence of specific marketing components (Price, Promotion, Product attributes and Place of sale/availability) on key drinking outcomes (initiation, continuation, frequency and intensity) in young people aged 9–17.MethodsMEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, PsychINFO, CINAHL and ProQuest were searched from inception to July 2015, supplemented with searches of Google Scholar, hand searches of key journals and backward and forward citation searches of reference lists of identified papers.ResultsForty-eight papers covering 35 unique studies met inclusion criteria. Authors tended to report that greater exposure to alcohol marketing impacted on drinking initiation, continuation, frequency and intensity during adolescence. Nevertheless, 23 (66%) studies reported null results or negative associations, often in combination with positive associations, resulting in mixed findings within and across studies. Heterogeneity in study design, content and outcomes prevented estimation of effect sizes or exploration of variation between countries or age subgroups. The strength of the evidence base differed according to type of marketing exposure and drinking outcome studied, with support for an association between alcohol promotion (mainly advertising) and drinking outcomes in adolescence, whilst only two studies examined the relationship between alcohol price and the drinking behaviour of those under the age of 18.ConclusionDespite the volume of work, evidence is inconclusive in all four areas of marketing but strongest for promotional activity. Future research with standardized measures is needed to build on this work and better inform interventions and policy responses.

Treating alcohol-related liver disease from a public health perspective

“…Systematic reviews of the international literature, including experimental and longitudinal study designs, have concluded that exposure to alcohol advertising by youth is associated with initiation of drinking, increased drinking and binge drinking. [98][99][100][101][102][103] The alcohol industry invests substantially in advertising -over £5 billion a year (15% of annual revenue) for the leading global alcohol company 104 -which is a clear indication of the importance of this strategy in boosting sales and shareholder profits. Advertising online through social media is a growth area with international reach, 105 however, nearly half of countries report no restrictions on advertising through this medium, indicating that regulation in this area is failing to keep up with technological advances.…”

The Myriad Influences of Alcohol Advertising on Adolescent Drinking

“…Prior reviews have focused on indices of alcohol marketing (i.e., price, promotion, product, and placement) and behavioral drinking outcomes [20], the role of digital media and its influences on adolescent drinking behavior [21, 22], and the effects of youth exposure to alcohol advertising longitudinally [23]. However, gaps in the literature remain, including whether specific demographic groups are over exposed to alcohol advertisements, mechanisms underlying how alcohol advertisements influence behavior and potential interventions geared towards reducing the effects of alcohol advertisements among youth.…”

Impact of exposure to alcohol marketing and subsequent drinking patterns among youth and young adults

“…Since 2009, four systematic reviews have summarised longitudinal studies on the association between exposure to alcohol marketing and youth alcohol use. The reviews, published between 2009 and 2017, collectively included 64 studies from 1994 to 2016, with participants ranging in age from nine to 29 years-old at baseline, and up to 29 years-old at follow-up (Anderson 2009a; Jernigan 2017; Scott 2017; Smith 2009). Table 1 presents key findings from the four reviews, presenting each of the studies in each review for comparison.…”

“…Two of the four reviews investigated exposure to traditional, industry-driven marketing only (e.g. television commercials, magazine advertisements for alcoholic beverages; Jernigan 2017; Scott 2017), whereas two reviews also included influence of exposure to alcohol portrayals in the media (e.g. alcohol consumption by characters; Anderson 2009a; Smith 2009).…”

“…There are limitations with the reviews as well, including varying definitions of alcohol marketing, and that the search strategies employed were not always comprehensive. For example, only one of the reviews included a number of studies that reported null results and negative associations (Scott 2017). Finally, none of these reviews is published in a format or venue that would facilitate regular updating of the review as more scientific evidence accumulates.…”