Dr. James Sargent, professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School and senior author on the study said "We worry about early-onset drinking because these kids are more likely to go on to misuse alcohol when they reach high school. We know from multiple studies conducted during the 1990s that ownership of tobacco branded merchandise was linked with teen smoking. That's why the tobacco companies voluntarily agreed to give up this type of marketing."
The study conducted so far, is limited in its scope, as it has not examined other influences like parent drinking, access to drinks etc..