Italian teenagers’ perceived exposure to Digital Alcohol Marketing

Strategies to regulate the commercial availability of alcohol are considered as essential public health measures by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its Member States (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2021). At the global level, the ban on the sale of alcohol to minors (usually under the age of 18) and restrictions on alcohol advertising are key levers, and the strictness of enforcement of these provisions is a crucial issue (PAHO, 2017 ; WHO, 2018, 2019). 
In this framework, CIPPAL-ADAM (Compared International Public Policies for Alcohol Control – Audiovisual and Digital Alcohol Marketing) is a comparative study funded by Fonds de lutte contre les addictions (FLCA, French Fund for combatting addiction), it is coordinated  by the French Monitoring Centre for Drug and Addictions (OFDT, REITOX NFP) and involves six partner research institutes responsible for implementing country case studies in  Finland, France (OFDT), Ireland, Italy, Lithuania and Western Switzerland.
The study aims to compare the Influence of regulatory controls on alcohol marketing/advertising related to audio-visual media and the Internet on youth awareness and exposure to alcohol marketing.
Data collection targets young people aged between 16 and 19 through a mix method, including a documentary analysis, interviews and online surveys. 
The presented study is based on the Italian case study that is carried out by Eclectica+ and it is focused on the results of 20 qualitative interviews with teenagers of various gender, age, social, educational status and drinking styles.
The interviews covered their memories and opinion about alcohol advertising; perception of exposure; knowledge of alcohol marketing techniques on audio-visual media and Internet; awareness of existing control – including direct and indirect advertising – and the ways in which they become aware of these measures; their views on these measures (acceptability); their parents’ informal norms; their representations of youth drinking.
The results will be discussed in the view of a documentary analysis on alcohol marketing policies and regulation in Italy, as well as in the view the available scientific literature.  
Specific results will be available at the time of the conference. The six country results will be compared in 2025.
 
References 
PAHO (2017) Background on alcohol marketing regulation and monitoring for the protection of public health. Washington, DC, Pan American Health Organization
WHO (2018) Global status report on alcohol and health 2018. Geneva, WHO
WHO (2019) The SAFER technical package: five areas of intervention at national and subnational levels. Geneva, WHO
WHO Regional Office for Europe (2021) Making the WHO European region safer: Developments in alcohol control policies, 2010-2019. Copenhagen, WHO Regional Office for Europe