Impact of Alcohol and Tobacco Advertising on Secondary School Students

Running Head: IMPACT OF ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO ADVERTISING
Impact of Alcohol and Tobacco Advertising on Secondary School Students
[Name of the Writer]
[Name of the Institution]
Impact of Alcohol and Tobacco Advertising on Secondary School Students
Alcohol and tobacco use are two of the most common risk factors for preventable diseases, injuries, and premature death. (Schlife, 2010) Alcohol use by youth is also associated with motor vehicle injuries, suicide, and homicide, all of which are major causes of adolescent mortality. Although it is illegal to sell alcoholic beverages to youths under 21 and, in most states, to sell tobacco products to teenagers under 18, the alcohol and tobacco industries actively target young people with advertising and promotions. Through youth oriented campaigns, the alcohol and tobacco industries create an environment in which the consumption of these dangerous products is acceptable and, within some teenage peer groups, even expected.
Many health promotion efforts to reduce health risks emphasize individual behavior change and ignore the critical role of environmental and social factors. Although the use of tobacco and alcohol is legal for adults, the aggressive marketing and promotion tactics of both the alcohol and tobacco industries heavily target the youth market. Both industries use similar strategies to appeal to youth and increase market share.
The public health community must respond with a concerned, coordinated effort against the tactics used to appeal to youth through tobacco and alcohol advertising and promotion. This response is consistent with long-standing efforts by the American Public Health Association in support of restrictions on advertising, promotion, and consumption of alcohol and tobacco products. (Wolfe and Carlos, 2011) This study aims to outline alcohol and tobacco industry marketing practices directed at youth and to provide policy recommendations to restrict these targeting efforts and to assess should alcohol and tobacco advertisements be banned in the interest of citizens` health?
Background of the problem
Connolly, Orleans and Blum (2009) revealed Alcohol and tobacco as two of the most heavily promoted product categories in America. Both the tobacco and alcohol industries rely heavily on images in print, broadcast, and point-of-purchase campaigns that link their products with success, social acceptance, sexuality, friendship, youth, attractiveness, and physical vigor. Such images often have a significant impact on impressionable teens that are grappling with these issues.
Where did it come from?
The foremost tobacco commercial in the United States published in 1789 when what is now the Lorillard Tobacco Company sponsored their product in a local New York newspaper. (DeParle, 2007) Today annual advertising and promotion costs are estimated at $3.6 billion for the tobacco industry and $2.0 billion for the alcohol industry. (Schlife, 2010) These costs are ta...