New study finds binge drinking by teenagers and young adults is strongly associated with liking, owning, and correctly identifying music that references alcohol by brand name.

"Brand references may serve as advertising, even if they are not paid for by the industry," said senior author James D. Sargent, MD, co-director of the Cancer Control Research Program at Norris Cotton Cancer Center and professor of pediatrics in the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
Alcohol is considered the third leading lifestyle-related cause of death in the U.S. according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Of the 2,541 participants who completed the survey, 1,488, or 59 percent, reported having had a complete alcoholic drink, defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. Of those, 18 percent reported binging – or drinking heavily over a short period of time – at least monthly and 37 percent reported having had problems, such as injuries, due to alcohol.
"Every year, the average adolescent is exposed to about 3,000 references to alcohol brands while listening to music," said lead author Brian A. Primack, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine and pediatrics and director of the Program for Research on Media and Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "It is important that we understand the impact of these references to alcohol brands in an age group that can be negatively impacted by alcohol consumption."
In the survey, which could be completed either through the Internet or on paper, participants were given the titles of popular songs with alcohol mentions and asked if they liked the song or owned the song. They were also tested to determine if they could spontaneously recall what brand of alcohol was mentioned in the song.
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"A surprising result of our analysis was that the association between recalling alcohol brands in popular music and alcohol drinking in adolescents was as strong as the influence of parental and peer drinking, and an adolescent's tendency toward sensation-seeking," said Primack. "This may illustrate the value that this age group places in the perceived opinions and actions of music stars."
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Source-Eurekalert