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Reducing Youth Exposure to Alcohol Ads: Targeting Public Transit

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Abstract

Underage drinking is a major public health problem. Youth drink more heavily than adults and are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of alcohol. Previous research has demonstrated the connection between alcohol advertising and underage drinking. Restricting outdoor advertising in general and transit ads in particular, represents an important opportunity to reduce youth exposure. To address this problem, the Marin Institute, an alcohol industry watchdog group in Northern California, conducted a survey of alcohol ads on San Francisco bus shelters. The survey received sufficient media attention to lead the billboard company, CBS Outdoor, into taking down the ads. Marin Institute also surveyed the 25 largest transit agencies; results showed that 75 percent of responding agencies currently have policies that ban alcohol advertising. However, as the experience in San Francisco demonstrated, having a policy on paper does not necessarily mean it is being followed. Communities must be diligent in holding accountable government officials, the alcohol industry, and the media companies through which advertising occurs.

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Notes

  1. Telephone survey and record requests were conducted on June–August 2007. We encountered some resistance in obtaining information via telephone so in some cases resorted to sending written requests under the jurisdiction’s public records act. The agencies are: Chicago Transit Authority, Los Angeles County, Metropolitan Transport Authority, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority, Orange County Transportation Authority, King County Seattle Metro Transit Division, Alameda Contra Costa Transit District, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County Texas, Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District, Miami–Dade Transit, Golden Gate Transportation District, Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, Bay Area Rapid Transit District, City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services, Metropolitan Transit Authority-State of New York, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Sacramento Regional Transit District, San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Southern Metrolink, Denver Regional Transportation District, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, New Jersey Transit, and Maryland Transit Administration.

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Acknowledgement

The author wishes to acknowledge the assistance of Bruce Livingston, Simon Rosen, and David Dominguez in the preparation of this article.

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  1. Marin Institute, San Rafael, CA, USA

    Michele Simon

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  1. Michele Simon
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Correspondence to Michele Simon.

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Simon is with the Marin Institute, San Rafael, CA, USA.

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Simon, M. Reducing Youth Exposure to Alcohol Ads: Targeting Public Transit. J Urban Health 85, 506–516 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-008-9280-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-008-9280-0

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