Youth and marketting in UK 2010/03/05
September 2009 is a publication endorsed by the Alcohol Health Alliance UK. Among the contributors are Peter Andersson, International Public Health consulntant, and Sally Caswell of the the Massey university ion New Zealand.
Alcohol consumption in the UK has increased rapidly in recent years, not just among young people, but across society. The population is drinking in increasingly harmful ways and the result is a plethora of avoidable medical, psychological and social harm, damaged lives and early deaths. As consumption has increased, so the market for alcohol has grown. In 2007, sales (including supermarket, off-licence, restaurant and bar sales) were high enough to put virtually every British adult over government guideline drinking levels. These sales are driven by vast promotional and marketing campaigns that dwarf health promotion efforts: the UK alcohol industry spends approximately £800m each year encouraging consumption of its wares.
Stakeholder marketing by the alcohol industry, including partnership working and industry funded health education, has served the needs of the alcohol industry, not public health. In particular it has focused attention on ineffective educational initiatives and partial solutions, rather than evidence-based population level approaches. The reality is that young people are drinking more because the whole population is drinking more and our society is awash with pro-alcohol messaging, marketing and behaviour.
Summary
 509Under The Influence 2009 BMA.pdf
|
