Impact of alcohol-promoting and alcohol-warning advertisements on alcohol consumption, affect, and implicit cognition in heavy-drinking young adults: A laboratory-based randomized controlled trial
Authors
Stautz, Kai-Denis
Frings, D
Albery, IP
Moss, AC
Marteau, Theresa, M
Publication Date
2017-01-06Journal Title
British Journal of Health Psychology
ISSN
1359-107X
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
22
Pages
128-150
Language
eng
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Stautz, K., Frings, D., Albery, I., Moss, A., & Marteau, T. M. (2017). Impact of alcohol-promoting and alcohol-warning advertisements on alcohol consumption, affect, and implicit cognition in heavy-drinking young adults: A laboratory-based randomized controlled trial. British Journal of Health Psychology, 22 128-150. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12221
Abstract
$\textbf{OBJECTIVES}$: There is sparse evidence regarding the effect of alcohol-advertising exposure on alcohol consumption among heavy drinkers. This study aimed to assess the immediate effects of alcohol-promoting and alcohol-warning video advertising on objective alcohol consumption in heavy-drinking young adults, and to examine underlying processes.
$\textbf{DESIGN}$: Between-participants randomized controlled trial with three conditions.
$\textbf{METHODS}$: Two hundred and four young adults (aged 18-25) who self-reported as heavy drinkers were randomized to view one of three sets of 10 video advertisements that included either (1) alcohol-promoting, (2) alcohol-warning, or (3) non-alcohol advertisements. The primary outcome was the proportion of alcoholic beverages consumed in a sham taste test. Affective responses to advertisements, implicit alcohol approach bias, and alcohol attentional bias were assessed as secondary outcomes and possible mediators. Typical alcohol consumption, Internet use, and television use were measured as covariates.
$\textbf{RESULTS}$: There was no main effect of condition on alcohol consumption. Participants exposed to alcohol-promoting advertisements showed increased positive affect and an increased approach/reduced avoidance bias towards alcohol relative to those exposed to non-alcohol advertisements. There was an indirect effect of exposure to alcohol-warning advertisements on reduced alcohol consumption via negative affect experienced in response to these advertisements.
$\textbf{CONCLUSIONS}$: Restricting alcohol-promoting advertising could remove a potential influence on positive alcohol-related emotions and cognitions among heavy-drinking young adults. Producing alcohol-warning advertising that generates negative emotion may be an effective strategy to reduce alcohol consumption.
Keywords
alcohol marketing, alcohol advertising, alcohol warnings, video, implicit cognition, randomized controlled trial, heavy drinkers, young adults
Sponsorship
This work was jointly funded by the National Institute for Health Research School for Public Health Research, and by the Department of Health Policy Research Program (Policy Research Unit in Behaviour and Health [PR-UN-0409-10109]).
Funder references
Department of Health (via National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)) (unknown)
Department of Health (PRP number 107001)
Embargo Lift Date
2100-01-01
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12221
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/261941
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International, Attribution 4.0 International, Attribution 4.0 International, Attribution 4.0 International