227302 Associations between Alcohol Marketing on Alcohol Use among Zambian Youth: Opportunities for Policy Level Interventions

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 1:24 PM - 1:42 PM

Monica H. Swahn, PhD , Institute of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
Bina Ali , Institute of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
Jane Palmier, JD, MPH , Institute of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
George Sikazwe , Health Promotion Unit, Central Board of Health, Lusaka, Zambia
Background/Purpose: Alcohol use is a serious public health concern worldwide, but less attention has been given to the prevalence, scope and consequences of alcohol use in low income countries. The purpose of this study was to determine the associations between alcohol marketing (e.g., actors, billboards, and alcohol company representative) and the protective factor of alcohol education (e.g., knowledge on dangers of alcohol and refusal of alcohol) on Zambian youths' drinking prevalence, including problem drinking and drunkenness. Methods: Secondary data analyses were based on the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) conducted in Zambia. The self-administered questionnaire, distributed to students in 2004, were completed by students primarily 13 to 15 years of age (N=2257). Four statistical models were computed using logistic regression analyses to test the associations between alcohol marketing and education and alcohol use, while controlling for possible confounding factors in each model (e.g.,gender,friends, missing school, parental monitoring, victimization, illicit drug use). Results/Outcomes: Results show that alcohol marketing, specifically marketing through an alcohol company representative, is a significant risk factor for youths' drinking problem (AOR: 1.40; 95% CI =1.06-1.86) and drunkenness (AOR: 1.47; 95% CI = 1.08-1.99) after controlling for alcohol education in the model. Conclusions: The study shows that there are significant associations between alcohol marketing to youth and increased alcohol use including problem drinking and drunkenness. These findings underscore the importance of restricting alcohol marketing practices as an important policy strategy for reducing alcohol use and its dire consequences among vulnerable youth.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Epidemiology
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. To describe the prevalence of esposure to alcohol marketing among youth in Zambia 2. To explain associations observed between alcohol marketing and alcohol use. 3. To identify possible policy strategies to reduce alcohol marketing directly to youth in Zambia.

Keywords: Alcohol Problems, Marketing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have conducted research on alcohol use and adverse health outcomes for over ten years.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.