Commentary on White et al. (2017): Adolescent drinking and exposure to advertising—behaviour does not occur in a social vacuum

Abstract

Commentary on White et al. (2017): Adolescent drinking and exposure to advertising-behaviour does not occur in a social vacuumThe estimation of potential exposure young people have to alcohol advertising highlights the importance of placing alcohol prevention and intervention initiatives in their social and cultural contexts.The work conducted by White and colleagues [1] reports findings which, intuitively, make sense: increased exposure to (positive) alcohol advertising is associated with increased likelihood of teenage drinking and risky drinking behaviours. The calculation of estimated exposure through targeted rating points (TRPs) is a novel way of quantifying the extent to which adolescents are exposed to mainly positive messages about alcohol.Alcohol advertising has become more pervasive and targeted [2]. Television advertisements remain the most common form of advertising; however, print media, street advertising, targeted social media campaigns and sponsorship of major sporting teams all brand alcohol consistently as a normal part of life [3][4][5]. While the alcohol industry argues that alcohol branding is intended only for adults over the legal purchase age for alcohol [6], the portrayal of alcohol use as a fun, adventurous, relaxing or exhilarating activity are messages received readily by a consumer of any age [7].The prevention of risky drinking practices, particularly among adolescents and young adults, remains a common priority for research in the addiction sciences. Multiple school programmes teach students about the risks of alcohol consumption and strategies to resist peer pressure to drink alcohol [8,9]. While these individual-based interventions have a role in responding to harms associated with alcohol consumption, a critical perspective on wider alcohol culture is necessary to understand behaviour.White and colleagues calculate that, in 2011, Australian adolescents were exposed to 880 TRPs, or at least nine television advertisements per month [1]. This estimate does not include exposure to street or print advertising, social media campaigns and sports sponsorship. In contrast, adolescents who take part in a school-based prevention programme, such as the Australian CLIMATE Schools programme [10], are exposed to six sessions at most of education on safe drinking practices. These education programmes are therefore required to compete with many years of prior exposure to alcohol advertising, as well as concurrent and ongoing messaging from the alcohol industry. It is necessary to ask how effective prevention programmes can be in the face of the tsunami of advertising promoting positive cultural attitudes towards alcohol use.In Australia, gambling advertising has been banned recently from being screened during televised sports matches [11]. The argument behind this legislation is that children are exposed to advertising that promotes betting on the game being televised, as a normal and fun adult activity associated with participating in sport, without also being informed about the risks of gambl...