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Hispanic
Youth Overexposed To Alcohol Ads
From El diario
April 3, 2003
Cándida Portugués
Hispanic youth under the age of 21 hear 34 percent more radio advertisements
in English for alcohol than adults of legal age hear ads for the
same products. They are also 26 percent more exposed to advertisements
for alcohol than the rest of American youth, according to a study
carried out by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY)
of Georgetown University.
These figures would be even higher if the study included Spanish
language radio, Jeanette Noltenius of CAMY told El Diario. The paradox
is that the alcohol industry is directing its ads for beer fundamentally
at an audience that isnt old enough to buy its products legally.
This explains as an inversion in the long run: youths
subjected to such publicity have a stronger disposition to drink
when they become adults.
In our community the industry knows that 95 percent of Latinos
prefer to drink beer, that we have a drinking culture, that we drink
in all social events and that Latinos drink earlier because their
parents drink, said Noltenius.
To gauge the economic interest that the alcohol industry has in
this, it is enough to say that they spent $1.570 billion on publicity
alone in the year 2001.
The CAMY study, carried out during 2001 and 2002, integrates two
elements, advertisements and audience. For one side, Virtual Media
Resources monitored radio advertisements. For the other, Media Monitors
did a specific sampling of 87,094 ads in 19 national markets. Finally,
the sides were integrated with information from the company Arbitron,
which specializes in audience studies looking as much at age, as
on the time and location of advertisements.
Between these results, it was determined that 73 percent of radio
advertisements for alcoholic beverages were broadcast during programs
of music popular among youth.
According to Jim OHara, director of CAMY, 20 of the 160 brands
examined directed their advertisements at an audience that is not
legally allowed to drink, not at the 21 to 34 crowd that the industry
claims is their target audience.
The alcohol industrys preference for radio ads is interesting
since radio is the medium adolescents, who spend 13.5 hours a week
listening to the radio, are most exposed to. The next most popular
formats are television (10.6 hours weekly), the internet (7.6 hours
weekly) and finally reading (3.3 hours weekly).
The possibility of the innocence of the industry can
be rejected since radio stations define very clearly who their listeners
are. CAMY completes studies about alcohol. Its mission is to call
attention to the practices of the alcohol industry that can put
in danger the health and security of American youth.
* * * * * *
Alcohol
Consumption Rises Among Latin Youth
From El Diario
April 4, 2003
By Cándida Portugués
A panel of experts is working on a study on the underage consumption
of alcohol at the request of Congress. The results of the study
will be made public in about two months, Marilyn Aguirre-Molina
told el Diario. Ms. Aguiree Molina, a professor of public health
at Columbia University, is one of the panelists.
The results will bring the adoption of measures to protect
young people, who are affected in a very special manner by advertisements,
she said.
The study coincides with the theme of a Center on Alcohol Marketing
Youth report that el Diario reported on yesterday. CAMY, part of
Georgetown University, indicated in its study that underage drinkers,
especially Hispanics, are overexposed to advertisements for these
products.
When it is investigated why people drink, the impact of advertisements
cannot be denied, because they are directed at underage audiences.
And more with our youth, who are not influenced only by advertisements
in English, but also in Spanish. Messages in both lanugages present
alcohol to them as something thats cool and enjoyable,
said Aguiree-Molina.
Studies like CAMYs coincide with objective data that those
who drink alcohol at an early age are affecting their brains and
their growth, have a greater possibility of aggressive behavior,
develop alcoholism, and have unwanted sexual relations. According
to one recent study, many Latino youths have been forced into sexual
encounters after drinking.
Youth, and especially Latino youth, are drinking like nothing
we have seen before. In the age group of 12 14 years old
there are many that drink. This can be explained as a result of
many things, but kids dont need help from advertisements telling
them that its cool to drink, said. Aguirre-Molina.
Translated from Spanish by Joshua Brustein
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