A recent report by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, or CAMY, has shown some surprising facts and statistics about the exposure to alcohol for African American youths between the ages of 12-20. This report is an analysis of alcohol exposure among the African American youth in this age group, and the study breaks down the exposure according to type and brand. Many studies have already shown that an exposure to alcohol advertising increases the likelihood that youth will drink. Alcohol is the #1 drug abused by African American youth, and this study shows the exposure that these young people face.
Study author David Jernigan, who has a PhD and who is the director of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, stated “The report’s central finding—that African-American youth are being over-exposed to alcohol advertising—is a result of two key phenomena. First, brands are specifically targeting African-American audiences and, secondly, African-American media habits make them more vulnerable to alcohol advertising in general because of higher levels of media consumption. As a result, there should be a commitment from alcohol marketers to cut exposure to this high-risk population.” Alcohol use among young people puts them at a higher risk of motor vehicle accidents and crashes, violence, and even sexually transmitted diseases. The study shows that African American youth are exposed to more alcohol advertising than youth from other ethnic groups, and that the 5 brands most responsible for this exposure were Seagram’s Twisted Gin, Seagram’s Extra Dry Gin, Jacques Cardin Cognac, 1800 Silver Tequila, and Hennessy Cognacs.
