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. 2016 Nov;51(6):747-755.
doi: 10.1093/alcalc/agw006. Epub 2016 Feb 23.

Association Between Alcohol Sports Sponsorship and Consumption: A Systematic Review

Katherine Brown  1
Affiliations

Association Between Alcohol Sports Sponsorship and Consumption: A Systematic Review

Katherine Brown. Alcohol Alcohol. 2016 Nov.

Abstract

Aim: Concerns have been raised about the impact of alcohol sports sponsorship on harmful consumption, with some countries banning this practice or considering a ban. We review evidence on the relationship between exposure to alcohol sports sponsorship and alcohol consumption.

Methods: Search of electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and International Alcohol Information Database) supplemented by hand searches of references and conference proceedings to locate studies providing data on the impact of exposure to alcohol sports sponsorship and outcomes relating to alcohol consumption.

Results: Seven studies met inclusion criteria, presenting data on 12,760 participants from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Poland. All studies report positive associations between exposure to alcohol sports sponsorship and self-reported alcohol consumption, but the statistical significance of results varies. Two studies found indirect exposure to alcohol sports sponsorship was associated with increased levels of drinking amongst schoolchildren, and five studies found a positive association between direct alcohol sports sponsorship and hazardous drinking amongst adult sportspeople.

Conclusion: These findings corroborate the results of previous systematic reviews that reported a positive association between exposure to alcohol marketing and alcohol consumption. The relationship between alcohol sports sponsorship and increased drinking amongst schoolchildren will concern policymakers. Further research into the effectiveness of restrictions on alcohol sports sponsorship in reducing harmful drinking is required.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Results of searches of electronic databases and hand searches.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Unhealthy sponsorship of sport.
    Chambers T, Sassi F. Chambers T, et al. BMJ. 2019 Dec 4;367:l6718. doi: 10.1136/bmj.l6718. BMJ. 2019. PMID: 31801724 No abstract available.

References

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