Alcohol use in the young adult population presents a significant health and well-being concern in the United States and other countries. In Kenya, there has been significant social and public health concerns surrounding high-risk alcohol use within young adults. High-risk alcohol use has also been associated with poor academic achievement and social and financial impacts. Liquor advertising may be impacting the rate of alcohol consumption within this age group as previous studies have demonstrated a positive association between alcohol advertising and use among young adults. This study examines the prevalence of alcohol advertising on web-based media and its effects on alcohol consumption among college students in Kenya.
The study’s sample consisted of 836 college students from a public university in Kenya who completed an online survey. The survey assessed participant demographic information, online alcohol advertisements, and alcohol consumption. Participants were asked to report the number of times they had seen online alcohol promotions over the past month and the average number of alcohol posts per day that appeared on their social media. Risky alcohol consumption was assessed using the Tolerance, Worried, Eye-opener, Amnesia, K-cut down (TWEAK) questionnaire. Data was analyzed using t-tests and multiple regression analysis to assess the influence of sex and alcohol advertisements on alcohol consumption.
Results of the data analysis indicated that 97% of participants used social media daily. Students reported that Facebook had the most alcohol posts per day followed by YouTube. Spearman’s correlation revealed a moderate and statistically significant association between exposure to alcohol advertisements and high risk drinking. Male students reported more exposure to alcohol advertising and riskier drinking behaviors in comparison to female students.
Takeaway: Exposure to alcohol advertisements may provide predictive value in assessing high risk alcohol consumption in college students.