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Tag: alcohol advertising

  • NYC Bans Alcohol Ads on City Properties to Reduce Problem Drinking

    NYC Bans Alcohol Ads on City Properties to Reduce Problem Drinking

    NYC joins LA, Philadelphia and San Francisco in restricting alcohol advertising on city-owned spaces.

    Alcohol advertising will no longer be displayed on New York City-owned property such as bus shelters, newsstands, phone booths and wifi kiosks.

    Mayor Bill de Blasio issued the alcohol advertising ban via Executive Order, effective immediately. The ban will affect most city-owned properties except for venues that serve alcohol like Citi Field.

    Despite a foreseeable loss of advertising revenue of around $3 million each year, city officials say it’s worth it to try and reduce the effects of problem drinking. In the 2018 fiscal year, alcohol advertising generated $2.7 million for the city. These advertisements occupy about 3% of city-owned advertising space.

    “There’s no doubt that far too many New Yorkers struggle with serious substance misuse issues, among them excessive drinking,” said de Blasio in a statement Tuesday.

    In 2016, NYC counted 110,000 alcohol-related ER visits, and 2,000 alcohol-related fatalities from car accidents, liver disease, etc.

    “In New York City, we see far too many deaths related to alcohol,” said city health commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot. “We know exposure to alcohol advertising can lead to drinking more alcohol, more often behavior that can be harmful and even fatal.”

    City officials cite research that have linked exposure to alcohol advertisements with drinking behavior. By minimizing New Yorkers’ exposure to alcohol advertising, they are hoping to reduce problem drinking in the city.

    There is plenty of research on the subject.

    “Parents and peers have a large impact on youth decisions to drink. However, research clearly indicates that alcohol advertising and marketing also have a significant effect by influencing youth and adult expectations and attitudes, and helping to create an environment that promotes underage drinking,” according to the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Johns Hopkins University.

    Eighteen months ago, the city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) banned alcohol advertisements on NYC buses, subway cars and stations.

    Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco have also banned alcohol ads on city property.

    “Too many people in our city struggle with excessive drinking, and irresponsible advertisements for alcohol make the problem worse―especially when they target communities of color,” said NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray. “Today, New York City is taking a stand to protect the health and well-being of all of our communities.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Students "Take Back" Billboards To Reduce Alcohol Advertising

    Students "Take Back" Billboards To Reduce Alcohol Advertising

    Students at the school said that alcohol use among teens is universally accepted so their anti-drinking campaign is necessary. 

    A school in California is trying to reduce the number of alcohol advertisements that its students see by purchasing billboard ad space and replacing alcohol ads with messages that encourage kids to avoid drinking. 

    A nonprofit associated with Roosevelt High in Fresno purchased the ad space and replaced it with an ad showing teens who chose education over alcohol. There are plans for at least one more billboard in Fresno. 

    Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson told ABC30, “For folks that are making good choices and prioritizing education over drugs and alcohol that you have some like-minded colleagues. So kids finding each other and willing to say hey I’m not willing to let anything get in my way of college is a really strong message.”

    The billboard that is up now shows eight students from Roosevelt High with the caption “I choose my education over alcohol.” 

    Students at the school said that alcohol use among teens is universally accepted, so taking a dramatic stance with something as visible as billboard is important. 

    Sophomore Nicole Lee said, “When we go to parties, my uncles would give my cousins drinks when they’re 18, so you’re basically breaking the law. I came to a point where I’m taking a stand so I’m going to do something to change that.” 

    Christina Garcia, another sophomore, agreed that talking about the dangers of alcohol for teens is important. 

    “Coming from me as a youth I have friends that say drinking is this and drinking is my life and OK it’s your life but what about your life. You’re just going to throw away your life for alcohol,” she said.

    Despite the experiences of teens at Roosevelt High, researchers have found that teen drinking rates are actually decreasing. According to researchers who conducted the Monitoring The Future survey, which looks at substance use among middle and high school students, teen drinking peaked in 1997 and has decreased 60% since then. 

    Last year, binge drinking among seniors in high school decreased by 2.8%. Fourteen percent of high school seniors reported that they had engaged in binge drinking in the prior two weeks. 

    At the same time, vaping of nicotine and marijuana has increased dramatically among teens, worrying health providers. More than 7% of teens reported that they had vaped marijuana in the past 30 days, while the percent of teens who had vaped nicotine doubled to 21%.  

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • WHO Launches "Safer" Alcohol Campaign

    WHO Launches "Safer" Alcohol Campaign

    The campaign outlines steps that governments can take to reduce problem drinking.

    The World Health Organization has launched a campaign outlining high-impact strategies that can help governments address alcohol abuse, in order to work toward the organization’s goal of reducing harmful drinking by 10% worldwide by 2025. 

    The campaign, called SAFER, outlines steps that governments can take to reduce problem drinking. Alcohol contributes to 3 million deaths around the world each year, and is the 7th leading cause of premature death and disability according to WHO. 

    “The harmful use of alcohol is a major—yet often unaddressed—public health threat,” Dr. Adam Karpati, senior vice president of Public Health Programs at Vital Strategies, a global public health organization, said in a news release. “SAFER provides clear guidance to governments on how to save lives on a large scale. The greatest impact will be achieved by implementing all the SAFER interventions in full.”

    Each letter in the acronym stands for a strategy that governments can implement:

    S: Strengthen restrictions on alcohol availability

    The first step in the plan is to reduce the availability of alcohol. The idea is to establish restrictions to keep alcohol out of the hands of youth and other high-risk groups; this has been proven to cut back on alcohol-related issues. For example, in Brazil the decision to close bars at 11 p.m. led to a 40% reduction in homicide rates. 

    A: Advance and enforce drink driving counter measures

    One of the most dangerous aspects of alcohol use is driving while intoxicated, so SAFER urges governments to take a stricter approach to combat drunk driving. This includes reducing the legal limit. Lowering the legal limit from 0.08% to 0.05% blood alcohol content could eliminate 18% of crashes caused by drunk driving that result in injury or death. 

    F: Facilitate access to screening, brief interventions and treatment

    In order to reduce the negative health impacts of alcohol, healthcare providers need to screen people who may be at risk, and help people who have alcohol use disorder access treatment. Offering screenings in a primary care setting can increase access to treatment, and is especially important for pregnant women. 

    E: Enforce bans or comprehensive restrictions on alcohol advertising, sponsorship, and promotion

    People around the globe are constantly exposed to marketing from alcohol companies, which often downplays the negative effects of alcohol. Governments should restrict what advertising is allowed, particularly in places where it reaches young people who should not be drinking.  

    R: Raise prices on alcohol through excise taxes and pricing policies

    Raising taxes on alcohol and setting minimum prices can make alcohol less affordable to people, thus in theory, reducing the amount that they drink. 

    View the original article at thefix.com