307332
Alcohol marketing and drinking among college students
Underage drinking and alcohol misuse on college campuses are significant public health concerns. In addition to traditional alcohol advertising (e.g., television, radio, print, and outdoor advertising), alcohol companies are turning to new, more engaging digital marketing platforms which may have an even greater potential to influence drinking behaviors among a technologically savvy youth population. However, a number of factors other than exposure to alcohol marketing are associated with drinking among college students.
College students (n=190) completed an online survey to obtain extra credit. Stepwise OLS regression was used to assess the impact of alcohol marketing recall, receptivity, and engagement and alcohol expectancies and drinking motives on average number of drinks consumed on a typical day and number of drinking days per month.
College students use a variety of web-based media, but few recalled seeing alcohol marketing in these venues. However, greater recall of alcohol ads across the range of traditional and new media sources is associated with more drinking. Controlling for demographic variables that are associated with drinking behavior, the effects of alcohol marketing recall, receptivity, and engagement on drinking behavior is reduced when alcohol expectancies and drinking motives variables were entered into the models. Beliefs that alcohol impairs cognitive and behavioral functions were associated with fewer drinks per drinking occasion and fewer drinking days, while using alcohol to be sociable or to become intoxicated is associated with more drinking. The ways that study results may be used to reduce alcohol misuse among college students will be discussed.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programsImplementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Learning Objectives:
List the types of traditional and web-based media that are being used by alcohol companies to promote alcohol use among young adults.
Discuss how receptivity to and engagement with alcohol marketing influences drinking behavior.
Design a college campus alcohol abuse prevention campaign using knowledge of factors that may mediate the impact of alcohol marketing on student drinking behavior.
Keyword(s): Alcohol Use, College Students
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have 19 years of research experience in the areas of substance abuse and HIV/STD risk reduction behavioral interventions. I have been funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse 6 times.
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.