What Popular Bars Post on Social Media Platforms: A Case for Improved Alcohol Advertising Regulation
Abstract
Introduction
The aim of this study was to document the scope of violations of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) “Code for Broadcast Advertising of Alcoholic Beverages” (CRTC Code) by alcohol use venues posting alcohol-related content on social media platforms, and to assess whether CRTC Code violations by alcohol use venues relate to their popularity among university students and to students’ alcohol use behaviors.
Methods
In phase 1 of the study, a probability sample of 477 students from four Canadian universities responded to a questionnaire about their alcohol use and preferred alcohol use venues. In phase 2, a probability sample of 78 students assessed the compliance of alcohol use venues’ social media posts with the 17 CRTC Code guidelines. The analysis pooled both datasets and linked them by alcohol use venues.
Results
Popular alcohol use venues were overwhelmingly posting alcohol-related content that contravenes the CRTC Code. Adjusted effect estimates show that a decrease in the mean level of compliance with the CRTC Code was significantly associated with a 1% increase in popularity score of alcohol use venues (t-test, p < .001). With regard to alcohol use behaviors, a 1% increase in the overall mean level of compliance with the CRTC Code was associated with 0.458 fewer alcohol use days per week during a semester (t-test, p = .01), 0.294 fewer alcohol units per occasion (t-test, p = .048) and a lesser likelihood of consuming alcohol when attending a alcohol use venue (t-test, p = .001).
Conclusion
The results of this study serve as a reminder to territorial and provincial regulatory agencies to review their practices to ensure that alcohol advertising guidelines are applied and enforced consistently. More importantly, these results call for the adoption of federal legislation with a public health mandate that would apply to all media, including print, television and radio, digital and social.
