Adolescents' Exposure to Zero‐Alcohol Advertisements and Attitudes and Consumption Intentions Towards Alcohol: A Cross‐Sectional Study

TL;DR

Adolescents who see and like zero-alcohol ads have more positive attitudes and stronger intentions to consume alcohol from the same brand, suggesting these ads act as a form of alcohol marketing.

Contribution

This study is the first to show that zero-alcohol advertisements can influence adolescents' attitudes and intentions towards alcohol.

Findings

Exposure to zero-alcohol ads is linked to more favorable attitudes towards the parent alcohol brand.

Liking zero-alcohol ads is associated with stronger intentions to consume full-strength alcohol from the same brand.

Self-reported exposure to zero-alcohol ads in real-life settings was not linked to general alcohol attitudes or intentions.

Abstract

Exposure to alcohol advertising is a key influence on adolescent alcohol consumption. Zero‐alcohol drinks (< 0.5% alcohol by volume) resemble and often share brands with alcoholic drinks, so may function as surrogate alcohol marketing. We examined whether exposure to zero‐alcohol advertising was associated with adolescents' attitudes and consumption intentions towards alcohol.

N = 382 Australians aged 15–17 years completed a cross‐sectional online survey where they viewed zero‐alcohol advertisements from four parent alcohol brands and reported past exposure and liking of each advertisement, attitudes and consumption intentions towards alcohol products from the parent brand, general attitudes and consumption intentions towards alcohol, self‐reported location‐based exposure to zero‐alcohol advertising, prior alcohol and zero‐alcohol consumption, and demographics. Associations between exposure and liking, attitudes, and consumption intentions were examined using linear mixed effect models and linear regression.

Adjusting for prior zero‐alcohol and alcohol consumption, gender and parent presence during survey completion, attitudes towards and intentions to consume alcohol from the parent brand were associated with previous zero‐alcohol advertisement exposure (attitudes: B = 0.22, p = 0.005; intentions: B = 0.20, p = 0.002) and zero‐alcohol advertisement liking (attitudes: B = 1.42, p < 0.001; intentions: B = 0.67, p < 0.001). No associations were found between self‐reported location‐based exposure to zero‐alcohol advertising and general attitudes and consumption intentions towards alcohol.

Findings that adolescents who see and like zero‐alcohol advertisements have more favourable attitudes towards and stronger intentions to consume parent alcohol brands suggest that zero‐alcohol advertisements may serve as surrogate alcohol marketing, supporting calls to include them within alcohol advertising regulations.

Zero‐alcohol drinks (typically < 0.5% alcohol by volume) resemble and often share brands with alcoholic drinks.Adolescents who see and like zero‐alcohol advertisements featuring a parent alcohol brand report more favourable attitudes towards the parent brand and report stronger intentions to consume full‐strength alcohol products from the parent brand.Findings support arguments that zero‐alcohol advertisements serve as surrogate marketing for full‐strength alcohol products and should be included within alcohol advertising regulations.

Zero‐alcohol drinks (typically < 0.5% alcohol by volume) resemble and often share brands with alcoholic drinks.

Adolescents who see and like zero‐alcohol advertisements featuring a parent alcohol brand report more favourable attitudes towards the parent brand and report stronger intentions to consume full‐strength alcohol products from the parent brand.

Findings support arguments that zero‐alcohol advertisements serve as surrogate marketing for full‐strength alcohol products and should be included within alcohol advertising regulations.