HHS HealthBeat (September 25, 2007)

Encouragement to drink

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Teens learn from the media, and ads for alcohol are one of the things they see. A study finds alcohol companies generally have reduced their advertising in magazines in which at least 30 percent of readers are young people. But the study finds 91 percent of teens still see alcohol ads in the magazines.

Georgetown University researcher David Jernigan reviewed data on ads. His findings were in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Jernigan says almost all the ads primarily promoted product – about 3 percent primarily promoted being responsible. He says kids get the main message.

His advice to parents:

``We need to be aware of the advertising, and talk to our kids about how alcohol advertising will never tell the whole store about adolescent alcohol use.’’ (8 seconds)

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: September, 25 2007