Manila Bulletin
Well Being
June 2, 2009
A recent study conducted at the University of Radboud, Nijmegen Netherlands directly linked television advertisement to the increase of alcohol consumption. The experiment participated in by 80 young Dutch people from ages 18 to 29 years old concluded that watching television with heavy alcohol portrayal actually increases drinking by twice as much compared to those who do not have. Published at the Alcohol and Alcoholism Journal at Oxford University aimed to find out whether television advertisements have a causal effect on alcohol consumption.
Participants composed of young male friends were split into four groups; each was made to watch a film for an hour in a comfortable living room setting at two in the afternoon. Soft alcoholic beverages like beer and wine were available in the refrigerator for free with chips and nuts to go with it while participants are also allowed to smoke.
The first group watched American Pie, a movie heavily laden with alcoholic drinking instances, and put alcohol advertisements in between scenes while the second group watched the same movie but without the advertisements.
The third group was made to watch 40 days and 40 nights, a film with lesser alcohol drinking but more references, with the same alcohol commercials and with the fourth group the commercials were removed.
The experiment yielded a very significant result especially for countries like the Philippines were alcohol commercials is not strictly monitored and drinking is an accepted form of social interaction especially among men and teen-agers.
ALARMING RESULTS
According to the result, the first group who watched American Pie with alcohol commercials consumed almost three bottles of alcohol compared to the consumption of the fourth group, who watched 40 Days and 40 Nights without the commercials.
“Our study showed that the portrayal of alcohol and drinking characters in movies directly leads to more alcohol consumption in young adult male viewers when alcohol is available within the situation,” researchers said.
“All in all, it can be concluded that, for young adult males, the portrayal of alcohol on a television screen might lead to incre ased alcohol consumption.”
However, the researchers composed of Rutger Engels, Roel Hermans, Rick van Baaren, Tom Hollenstein and Sander Bot, point out that the results might vary with circumstances like culture, limitations on drinking locations and brand consciousness.
This study maybe well related to another research by Synovate, commissioned by the Department of Health, which revealed that Filipinos, especially the richer ones, are the heaviest drinkers in Southeast Asia consuming 37 percent more alcohol compared to countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. The figure says that 11 percent of Filipinos 15 to 74 years old regularly drink alcoholic beverages at the minimum of four times a week while 20 percent of age group 15 to 19 years old is already current drinkers. This fact is both alarming and scary since it involves the youth who are even below the allowable drinking age and merits immediate attention from parents, lawmakers and the society.
Other countries like in the European Union that applies stringent rules on alcoholic commercials where the alcohol cannot be promoted using children, as an aid to social, sexual success or therapeutic aid, Philippine television has a significantly high content of alcohol commercials.
The presence of famous celebrity endorsers, depicting drinking as a way to interest the opposite sex, have fun with friends, impress superiors or achieve success in alcohol commercials in our country also plays a considerable influence on drinking.
“When in real life, anticipation on others’ reactions may be among the causes of imitation. Since viewers are aware that characters from a TV screen will not evaluate them, this imitation will take place independent from this anticipation. This adds to the evidence for the assumption that humans are wired to imitate,” the Dutch research further stated.
Well Being
June 2, 2009
A recent study conducted at the University of Radboud, Nijmegen Netherlands directly linked television advertisement to the increase of alcohol consumption. The experiment participated in by 80 young Dutch people from ages 18 to 29 years old concluded that watching television with heavy alcohol portrayal actually increases drinking by twice as much compared to those who do not have. Published at the Alcohol and Alcoholism Journal at Oxford University aimed to find out whether television advertisements have a causal effect on alcohol consumption.
Participants composed of young male friends were split into four groups; each was made to watch a film for an hour in a comfortable living room setting at two in the afternoon. Soft alcoholic beverages like beer and wine were available in the refrigerator for free with chips and nuts to go with it while participants are also allowed to smoke.
The first group watched American Pie, a movie heavily laden with alcoholic drinking instances, and put alcohol advertisements in between scenes while the second group watched the same movie but without the advertisements.
The third group was made to watch 40 days and 40 nights, a film with lesser alcohol drinking but more references, with the same alcohol commercials and with the fourth group the commercials were removed.
The experiment yielded a very significant result especially for countries like the Philippines were alcohol commercials is not strictly monitored and drinking is an accepted form of social interaction especially among men and teen-agers.
ALARMING RESULTS
According to the result, the first group who watched American Pie with alcohol commercials consumed almost three bottles of alcohol compared to the consumption of the fourth group, who watched 40 Days and 40 Nights without the commercials.
“Our study showed that the portrayal of alcohol and drinking characters in movies directly leads to more alcohol consumption in young adult male viewers when alcohol is available within the situation,” researchers said.
“All in all, it can be concluded that, for young adult males, the portrayal of alcohol on a television screen might lead to incre ased alcohol consumption.”
However, the researchers composed of Rutger Engels, Roel Hermans, Rick van Baaren, Tom Hollenstein and Sander Bot, point out that the results might vary with circumstances like culture, limitations on drinking locations and brand consciousness.
This study maybe well related to another research by Synovate, commissioned by the Department of Health, which revealed that Filipinos, especially the richer ones, are the heaviest drinkers in Southeast Asia consuming 37 percent more alcohol compared to countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. The figure says that 11 percent of Filipinos 15 to 74 years old regularly drink alcoholic beverages at the minimum of four times a week while 20 percent of age group 15 to 19 years old is already current drinkers. This fact is both alarming and scary since it involves the youth who are even below the allowable drinking age and merits immediate attention from parents, lawmakers and the society.
Other countries like in the European Union that applies stringent rules on alcoholic commercials where the alcohol cannot be promoted using children, as an aid to social, sexual success or therapeutic aid, Philippine television has a significantly high content of alcohol commercials.
The presence of famous celebrity endorsers, depicting drinking as a way to interest the opposite sex, have fun with friends, impress superiors or achieve success in alcohol commercials in our country also plays a considerable influence on drinking.
“When in real life, anticipation on others’ reactions may be among the causes of imitation. Since viewers are aware that characters from a TV screen will not evaluate them, this imitation will take place independent from this anticipation. This adds to the evidence for the assumption that humans are wired to imitate,” the Dutch research further stated.
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