Safer, H., (2002). Alcohol Advertising and Youth: Journal of studies on alcohol supplement. pp. 173-81.
Summary of the Article
The article is authored by Safer (2002) and he seeks to explain whether alcohol consumption amongst college students is increased by aggregate advertising. It is based on secondary research done on other studies related to the topic. The study uses a theoretical framework for assessing the effectiveness of advertising. It seeks to verify what most studies have suggested that, although the levels of advertising and alcohol consumption among college students are both high, there is no empirical evidence that has successfully linked the two.
Safer (2002) found out that alcohol consumption is increased by advertising. Limited bans cannot reduce advertising because the advertisers will shift to other media that have not been banned. A potentially effective way of reducing alcohol consumption is by implementing a comprehensive ban on all alcohol advertisements and promotions. This will leave no option for advertisers to shift to other media. He then concludes that rather than introducing new bans on advertising as a public policy, it is better to increase counter-advertising. He also says that there is a high likelihood that the public may not support comprehensive bans on alcohol advertising. He adds that focusing on introducing new alcohol advertising bans that are limited will reduce the efforts of implementing counter-advertising. Lastly, he suggests that future research should focus on finding out themes of counter-advertising that will most effectively reach and change the youth.
Assessment of the article
The article has some strengths which include: first, it has been able to clearly bring out the relationship between alcohol consumption and advertising among youths. This has been achieved by analyzing the relationship graphs of alcohol consumption versus advertising, as well as bans on advertising. Secondly, it has shown why previous bans on alcohol advertising have not worked and suggested other effective ways of controlling alcohol consumption. This has been achieved by analyzing the relationship graphs of alcohol consumptions versus advertising bans and also alcohol consumption versus counter-advertising. However, the study also has some weaknesses. One of them is that it only focuses on advertising as the only influencer of alcohol consumption. It fails to appreciate other factors which include peer pressure, availability of alcohol, and money to spend on alcohol purchasing, as well as psychological factors like depression. This limits the effectiveness of the recommendations made to reduce alcohol consumption among the youth.
The usefulness of the article in Nursing
Nurses at one point or another, deal with patients who have disruptive behaviors, key among such are alcoholism patients. The article provides nurses with information on how a factor that contributes to an increase in alcoholism affects the consumption of alcohol. Through this article, the nurses will be better placed when counseling recovering alcohol patients on various issues. For instance, helping their patients to know how to react to the alcohol advertisements in the media; protecting their patients who consume alcohol, from advertisements that might influence them to consumption, hence reducing the effectiveness of their medication. As a result, they will be able to help their patients to come out of addiction and also benefit from their medication.