Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDCP). New study claims that alcohol advertisements cause youth to try out alcohol, which leads to underage drinking and binge-drinking.

This study, entitled "Cued Recall of Alcohol Advertising on Television and Underage Drinking Behavior", aimed at determining the influence of alcohol commercials on young people. Researchers from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth conducted the study among 2,500 adolescents in the U.S. whose ages ranged from 15-23.

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Each individual took a three-year survey conducted over the phone and the web. The researchers showed the participants alcohol commercials that aired on 2010 and 2011. However, the ads used while conducting the study were edited versions, where the branding of alcohol was not revealed to the individual.

To determine then influence of commercial ads, researchers measured the receptivity score of each ad. The receptivity score is determined by many factors that show the ad's influence, including whether the participant recognized it and liked it, whether they were willing to try it and whether they will be able to point out the specific brand of alcohol being promoted.

Results show that 23 percent of younger participants, aged 15 to 17, claimed seeing the alcohol ads. Meanwhile, 26 percent of older participants, aged 21 to 23, reported seeing the ads.

With the receptivity score, researchers found that individuals who remembered the ads were more likely to drink, and binge-drink, sooner. According to CDCP, youth who started drinking before they were 15 years old were five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence later in life. Additionally, underage drinking is responsible for about 4,300 annual deaths in the U.S.

Underage drinking is considered a major health problem as it leads to serious problems in young people's life including school problems, social difficulties, unhealthy lifestyle, unprotected sexual activity, accident risks and vulnerability to other vices.

Tagsdrinking, Underage drinking, binge drinking, Drugs