Internet Alcohol Marketing Recall and Drinking in Underage Adolescents (2020). Auden C McClure et al. Acad Pediatr. Jan-Feb 2020. 20(1):128-135. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2019.08.003.
Authors
Auden C McClure 1 , Joy Gabrielli 2 , Samantha Cukier 3 , Kristina M Jackson 4 , Zoe L B Brennan 5 , Susanne E Tanski 6
Objective:
Evidence suggests that adolescents are exposed to alcohol marketing in digital media. We aimed to assess recall of Internet alcohol marketing and its association with underage drinking.
Methods:
New England adolescents age 12–17 years (N=202) were recruited from a pediatric clinic. Subjects completed an online survey assessing: 1) general simple recall of Internet alcohol marketing and 2) image-prompted recall of specific Internet alcohol marketing channels (display ads, commercials, brand websites, brand social media pages). Cross-sectional associations between recall (simple and image-prompted) and ever-drinking were each assessed in regression analysis adjusting for age, gender, race, parent education, ever-smoking, media use, sensation-seeking, peer/parent drinking, parent monitoring/responsiveness, and parent Internet monitoring.
Results:
In this sample (Mage=14.5 years; 55% female; 89% white; high parent education), 20% reported ever-drinking and 87% recalled Internet alcohol marketing. Of the latter, 67% recalled display ads, 67% Internet commercials, 5% websites, 5% social media pages. In logistic regression, higher simple Internet alcohol advertising recall was independently associated with higher odds of ever-drinking for simple (AOR: 2.66 [1.04,6.83]) but not for image-prompted recall.
Conclusions:
Despite controlling for potential confounders, simple recall of Internet alcohol marketing was significantly associated with underage drinking whereas image-prompted recall was significant only in bivariate analysis, likely due to small sample and a more limited range of specific channels assessed than those accessed by adolescents. Further longitudinal studies using image-prompted recall and capturing a broader range of internet platforms could be used to better understand adolescent engagement with alcohol marketing and guide policy and prevention efforts.