In spite of denials to the contrary, the alcohol industry continues to target underage drinking by advertising beverages that appeal to young people in magazines with young readers. Alcoholic beverages popular among youths are more likely to be advertised in magazines with high youth readership than alcoholic drinks consumed mainly by adults, according to a new study."Alcohol companies are deceiving us," said the lead author of the study.
Representatives of the alcohol industry - the Wine Institute, the Beer Institute, and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States - have repeatedly denied that they do not target underage youth with their advertising.
But a new study conducted by the Boston University School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Virtual Media Resources provides strong evidence that alcohol companies are targeting youth through magazine ads.
Magazine Ads Target Youth
"Alcohol companies are deceiving us," said Dr. Michael Siegel, professor of community health sciences at Boston University School of Public Health and a co-author of the study. "Contrary to their public statements, they are targeting youths through their advertising. They are saying one thing, but doing another."
Researchers compared ads in 118 magazines from 2002 to 2006. The researchers found a total of 13,513 alcohol advertisements during the five-year study period. While 23.1% of advertisements for adult alcoholic beverages appeared in magazines with high youth readership, 42.9% of advertisements for youth alcoholic beverage types were placed in the same magazines.
"The percentage of a magazine's youth readers was an important predictor of which alcoholic beverages were advertised in a magazine," the authors wrote.
Source: King, C. et al. "Adolescent Exposure to Alcohol Advertising in Magazines: An Evaluation of Advertising Placement in Relation to Underage Youth Readership." Journal of Adolescent Health. December 2009.
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