Research & Resources

Alcohol marketing exposure affects young adult drinking rates. In a recent study, scientists collected and analyzed 38 studies conducted over four decades in several different countries to see what patterns emerged and what they could reveal about preventing alcohol use. The results from those studies show different effects depending on the outcomes measured and type of alcohol marketing. However, when looking at the combined results, researchers confirmed a strong correlation between alcohol marketing exposure and youth alcohol use. The correlation was strongest for alcohol promotions such as alcohol-sponsored events and youth who owned alcohol-branded or alcohol-related merchandise, and held true across the different contexts the studies were conducted in. The article, “Alcohol Marketing and Adolescent and Young Adult Alcohol Use Behaviors: A Systematic Review of Cross-Sectional Studies,” was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. It was published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.