NCJ Number
202438
Journal
Addiction Volume: 98 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2003 Pages: 1297-1306
Date Published
September 2003
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study examined correlates of beer advertising awareness among eighth grade adolescents in South Dakota.
Abstract
By the end of eighth grade, approximately 83 percent of adolescents have initiated alcohol use. As such, it is important to identify the predictors of alcohol advertising awareness in order to understand who is most vulnerable to marketing campaigns. The authors test the conceptual model that three broad categories are correlated with beer advertising awareness among eighth graders: beer marketing, families and peers, and personal characteristics. A cross-sectional, in-school survey was administered to 1,530 eighth graders in South Dakota. Respondents were questioned about their recognition of six masked beer advertisements, their knowledge of beer brands, and slogans. Questions were also posed about their exposure to alcohol advertising in different venues, their social norms regarding alcohol use, their prior drinking history and beliefs, and their gender. Results of statistical analyses revealed that, not surprisingly, those adolescents with greater exposure to alcohol advertising in various venues were more aware of beer advertising. Other correlates of beer advertising awareness were television watching, knowing an adult who drank, and being male. The authors conclude that a variety of advertising venues influence the extent to which adolescents are aware of alcohol advertising, and that boys are more aware than girls of beer advertising. Future research should focus on whether alcohol advertising awareness is predictive of alcohol consumption among adolescents. Tables, references