Exposure to Alcohol Marketing and Alcohol-Related Consequences in Young Adults

Abstract

Background: Exposure to alcohol marketing is positively associated with alcohol consumption. However, few research studies have tested alcohol marketing’s effect on other alcohol-related outcomes. Consequently, the current study sought to identify associations between exposure to alcohol marketing and alcohol-related consequences in young adults. Methods: A secondary analysis of the 2020 Rhode Island Young Adult Survey was conducted. Participants were lifetime drinkers (n = 390) who were 18 to 25 years old and lived in Rhode Island for at least part of 2020. Past 30 day exposure to 6 forms of alcohol marketing was assessed. Alcohol consequences were measured using 8 items from the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire. Logistic regression models were adjusted for AUDIT score, age, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, employment status, and enrollment in school. Results: 92.3% of participants reported past 30 days exposure to any form of alcohol marketing. 43.6% of participants reported experiencing any alcohol-related consequence. Exposure to any form of alcohol marketing was positively associated with experiencing alcohol-related consequences (OR[95% CI] = 3.35 [1.19, 9.44]). After disaggregation by marketing type, only television exposure remained significantly associated with alcohol-related consequences (OR[95% CI] = 1.85 [1.06, 3.24]). Conclusions: Exposure to alcohol advertising on television may be positively associated with experiencing negative alcohol consequences in young adults. If confirmed, the findings may renew interest in strengthening alcohol marketing guidelines and regulations.

Keywords:

• Alcohol
• marketing
• advertising
• young adults
• adolescents
• consequences

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Karen Flora, the Project Director of the Partnerships for the Success II grant, which supported this work, as well as the support of the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest.

Funding

This work was supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration under Grant 1H79SP080979. The funders had no role in the design, implementation, analysis, or writing of this study. The views and opinions contained in the publication do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.