Young adults tend to consume more media than other age groups. Some studies have found an association between viewing alcohol-related media and alcohol use, intentions to drink, alcohol use norms, and alcohol-associated consequences. These findings suggest that alcohol-related media could be a potential target for alcohol reduction programs. This study examines the effect of media portraying positive and negative effects of alcohol use on drinking behaviors and harms among college students.
The study’s sample consisted of 500 undergraduate students from universities in Washington State who completed on online survey. Participants were asked to report the number of alcohol related images/messages they see during a typical week in print media, social media, movies/TV, radio/on-demand music streaming, and other ways. Students were then asked to describe the messages portrayed in the media focused on the positive and negative effects of alcohol. Lastly, the alcohol use disorder identification test (AUDIT) was used to identify high-risk drinking behaviors among participants. Data was analyzed using one-way ANOVAs and linear regressions to examine the effects of media on alcohol use.
Results of the data analysis showed that students were exposed to more messages focused on the positive effects of alcohol than the negative effects in all media sources except for print media. Students reported that the majority of messages focused on the positive and negative effects of alcohol use were viewed in movies/TV. Furthermore, the majority of the positive effects of alcohol viewed focused on social bonding/better friendships, followed by tension reduction/relaxation, and sexual attractiveness/better sex life. The linear regressions showed that exposure to both positive and negative alcohol related media was not associated with hazardous/harmful drinking.
Takeaway: College students are exposed to a great deal of media focused on alcohol use and the majority of these messages/images focus on the positive effects of alcohol use.