IMPACT OF ALCOHOL ADVERTS ON ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION OF UNDERGRADUATES IN THE LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Alcohol is integrated in many cultures as an aspect of everyday life and as an aspect of a variety of social situations. Alcohol is integrated in our culture in a way that our culture has certain rules about its use; when alcohol should be and not be consumed. Alcohol consumption forms an important social aspect in the lives of people with different cultural backgrounds around the globe, despite the level of its harm to human health. Alcohol is harmful for individuals as well as for the society. Our culture permits alcohol since time immemorial but not its abuse by youths. Scholars have argued on the causes of this sudden shift in our drinking culture and some have attributed it to the change in societal paradigms. Others noted it was ignited by the oil boom; while some argued that it was due to the effects of globalisation, which eventually led to industrialisation. However, many blamed the trend on the influence of the media advertising with its sophisticated marketing strategies and lack of alcohol control policy by the authorities. As alcohol advertising is shown to help in sustaining an environment and culture in which consuming alcohol is seen as a favourable and normal activity. Thus, this study through quantitative research design and survey research method investigated the impact of alcohol adverts on alcohol consumption of undergraduates in the Lagos State University. Findings revealed that respondents agree that they are mostly exposed to alcohol advertisements on television and majority of the respondents believes alcohol advertisement depicts reality, while some of the respondents imitate the message in alcohol advertising. The study concluded that the media is a potent tool in the hand of alcohol advertisers especially television, billboard and internet because this media exposes undergraduates student to alcohol advertisement on a daily bases. The study recommended that alcohol advertisements should not be aired before 11pm and billboards should be placed very far from tertiary institutions, so that it would reduce the level of undergraduate students’ exposure to alcohol advertising.