Alcohol Companies Target Youth
People under the age of 21 aren't allowed to buy alcohol because their brains are still developing until around age 25 years. Alcohol can damage a developing brain and it is the 4th leading preventable cause of death in the US behind tobacco, poor diet and physical inactivity and illegal drugs. Yet, alcohol ads can easily be found in places kids frequent like sports stadiums, online, radio, streaming music apps and tv shows, grocery stores and buses.
One study by the RAND Corporation found that young people ages 11 - 14 saw an average of three alcohol ads per day, which works out to be more than a thousand per year. That same study found that when young people saw an ad for alcohol, it changed their beliefs about alcohol. After seeing an ad for alcohol, young people reported more-favorable beliefs about someone their age who drinks alcohol and that effect lasted for two days. Click for more information.
The goal of alcohol environmental retail scanning is to identify community risk factors that can contribute to underage or excessive alcohol consumption, underage THC consumption, and protective factors that increase healthy food opportunities. Conducting a scan allows coalitions to observe and document the 4 P's: Price, Product, Promotion, and Place.
Environmental scans are important because they allow us to observe what alcohol, THC and Healthy foods look like in our community and how they are advertised. In La Crosse County these observations take place at off-premise establishments including grocery stores, gas stations and big box stores. It is important to make visual observations regarding advertising throughout our community by documenting through forms and pictures, where alcohol and THC advertising is located, how much and where window advertisements are located. Billboards, bus wraps and window ads are all included. this kind of documentation allows us to see how youth are exposed to alcohol and THC. Finally, scanning allows us to have a discussion with retailers regarding the 4 P's of alcohol and Cannabis.
Suggestions:
People under the age of 21 aren't allowed to buy alcohol because their brains are still developing until around age 25 years. Alcohol can damage a developing brain and it is the 4th leading preventable cause of death in the US behind tobacco, poor diet and physical inactivity and illegal drugs. Yet, alcohol ads can easily be found in places kids frequent like sports stadiums, online, radio, streaming music apps and tv shows, grocery stores and buses.
One study by the RAND Corporation found that young people ages 11 - 14 saw an average of three alcohol ads per day, which works out to be more than a thousand per year. That same study found that when young people saw an ad for alcohol, it changed their beliefs about alcohol. After seeing an ad for alcohol, young people reported more-favorable beliefs about someone their age who drinks alcohol and that effect lasted for two days. Click for more information.
The goal of alcohol environmental retail scanning is to identify community risk factors that can contribute to underage or excessive alcohol consumption, underage THC consumption, and protective factors that increase healthy food opportunities. Conducting a scan allows coalitions to observe and document the 4 P's: Price, Product, Promotion, and Place.
Environmental scans are important because they allow us to observe what alcohol, THC and Healthy foods look like in our community and how they are advertised. In La Crosse County these observations take place at off-premise establishments including grocery stores, gas stations and big box stores. It is important to make visual observations regarding advertising throughout our community by documenting through forms and pictures, where alcohol and THC advertising is located, how much and where window advertisements are located. Billboards, bus wraps and window ads are all included. this kind of documentation allows us to see how youth are exposed to alcohol and THC. Finally, scanning allows us to have a discussion with retailers regarding the 4 P's of alcohol and Cannabis.
Suggestions:
- Map or list liquor license holders. We receive a list of licensed retailers from each of our municipal clerks.
- Take a picture of the outside of the business prior to taking pictures inside. This helps to catalog the pictures by location and match the digital data with the written documentation.
- Once the data is gathered and analyzed create a graphic to share with the coalition and community stakeholders.
- Send follow up letters to the retailers visited. Let them know what the scan revealed and suggestions for change to prevent retail underage access to alcohol.