Similarities Between Alcohol and Tobacco Advertising Exposure and Adolescent Use of Each of These Substances

Abstract

Objective: Underage alcohol use is a major public health problem and substantial corporate money supports alcohol advertising across multiple venues. A diverse research literature demonstrates that adolescent exposure to such advertising is associated with drinking attitudes and behavior, but no scientific body has determined these associations to be causal. The objective of this study was to assess the association between alcohol advertising and teen drinking in the context of the “Analogy” criterion of the Bradford Hill criteria and consider a determination that the association between exposure to alcohol advertising and alcohol use is causal. Method: This study was a narrative review on the association between adolescent exposure to alcohol advertising and subsequent alcohol use in the context of domains utilized in the Surgeon General’s 2012 Report, Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults, which concluded, “Advertising and promotional activities by tobacco companies have been shown to cause the onset and continuation of smoking among adolescents and young adults.” Results: In every aspect compared (i.e., adolescent knowledge; attitudes toward; initiation of use; continuation of use; mediums of advertisement; the use of mascots, celebrities, and themes; and frequency and density of advertisements and retailers), the findings for both tobacco and alcohol and their association with exposure to advertising are analogous. Conclusions: Application of the Analogy criterion of the Bradford Hill criteria comparing alcohol and tobacco supports a judgment that the association between exposure to alcohol advertising and increased adolescent knowledge, attitudes toward, initiation, and continuation of alcohol use are causal in nature.

Youth’s Proximity to Marijuana Retailers and Advertisements: Factors Associated with Washington State Adolescents’ Intentions to Use Marijuana

“…In contrast, those who perceived a greater distance from marijuana shops but who reported greater exposure to marijuana-related advertisements were more likely to report intentions to use marijuana. This finding supports other scholars' conclusions that exposure to substance use advertising predicts adolescents' use of the drug (Sargent & Babor, 2020;Weitzman & Lee, 2020). Further, it suggests that while living far away from a marijuana retailer may serve as a protective factor, this protection is mitigated when the individual is exposed to marijuana advertising.…”

“…For example, point of sale advertisements for e-cigarettes in stores near schools was found to contribute to youth's use of e-cigarettes (Giovenco, Casseus et al, 2016). Weitzman and Lee (2020) applied The Bradford Hill criteria, which is a set of principles that help identify a causal relationship, to the existing literature and concluded that exposure to alcohol and tobacco advertising was predictive of youths' subsequent use of the drugs. Similarly, Sargent and Babor (2020) determined adolescents' initiation of alcohol use and binge drinking were caused, at least in part, by their exposure to alcohol advertising.…”

Social Networking Sites and Perceived Content Influence: An Exploratory Analysis from Focus Groups with French Adolescents

“…As seen, values that are important for adolescents are at play within SNSs’ use (e.g., friendship), and gimmicks that are developed by the SNSs’ platforms based on these values (e.g., Snapstreak) to encourage adolescents to use their profile regularly should be questioned. Studies have documented such impacts and advocated for the need to allow adolescents to master the use of SNSs [ 2 , 5 ]. The adolescents from our focus groups were making some links between the influence of advertisement or product placement over their behaviour (e.g., buying clothes advertised), but did not seem to be fully aware of the many variables at stake regarding the influence of the content of media over their health.…”

“…Concerns regarding A+T posts displayed on social networking sites (SNSs) for example Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, etc. have been researched internationally, particularly when it comes to their influence on adolescents’ behaviour towards these substances [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ].…”

“…Thus, adolescents can be influenced by the values associated with the use of the products advertised. This influence may result in the belief that use of such products may confer positive asocial benefits, for example being more popular or attractive or other valued social norms [ 5 ]. Adolescents tend to be critical over time towards regular forms of advertising and the common strategies used to target their interest [ 24 ].…”