EU Ban on Alcohol Advertising Needed to Protect Children

A group of leading European health experts today call for a European-wide ban on alcohol advertising that appeals to children and adolescents. Such measures are needed in order to protect young people from the harmful effects of alcohol.

The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) points to an article published in this month’s Clinical Medicine journal that underlines the significant influence marketing has on young people. Evidence from 13 studies of more than 38,000 young people demonstrates that alcohol advertising has an impact on the uptake of drinking and also encourages heavier drinking.

Dr Peter Anderson, author of the article, stressed the harmful effects of excessive alcohol consumption among young people and urged policy makers to do more to protect vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents. "Banning advertising that appeals to young people would lessen the attraction of drinking for children and adolescents," said Dr Anderson, "an EU-wide ban could prevent 5% of all alcohol-related ill health."

This debate comes at a time when alcohol is high on the political agenda. The Science Group of the Alcohol and Health Forum published its opinion on the impact of marketing communication on the volume and pattern of alcohol consumption among young people. The report found that commercial communications increase the likelihood that adolescents will start to use alcohol and encourages those that already drink to drink more. Elsewhere, the Scottish government and the chief medical officer for England both made proposals for a minimum pricing initiative on alcoholic beverages.

EPHA Secretary General Monika Kosinska believes that a multi-pronged approach is needed in order to address the issue of alcohol-related harm.

"The European Union needs to take urgent action to reduce the health harms of alcohol misuse," she insisted. "An EU strategy must take into account the role of both promotion and pricing on levels of consumption and should not fail to address the issue of third-party harm. "

With an increasing exchange of promotional material within and between European countries, strict restriction on alcohol advertising that targets young people is needed at an EU level. A 2006 survey found that support for such a move is high amongst Europeans with 76% in favour of an EU-wide ban.

With health at the top of citizens concerns, governments cannot afford to ignore their concerns at this crucial time. Policy makers must act to safeguard the health of future generations.

For further information please contact pressoffice@epha.org.

Note to editors

1. ’Is it time to ban alcohol advertising’ is published in this month’s edition of the Clinical Medicine journal

2. Dr Peter Anderson is a consultant in public health in Girona, Spain.

3. The Alcohol and Health Forum forms part of the European Commission’s Alcohol Strategy and is a stakeholder platform led by the Commission, bringing together over 50 non-governmental organisations and businesses.

4. The Science Group of the Alcohol and Health Forum was asked to examine the relationship between marketing and volume of consumption, a topic which had been discussed at previous Forum meetings. The report can be found here

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