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J Subst Use. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 November 01. Published in final edited form as: J Subst Use. 2015 November 1; 20(6): 430–438. doi:10.3109/14659891.2014.942402.
Differences in alcohol brand consumption among underage youth by age, gender, and race/ethnicity – United States, 2012 Michael Siegel, MD, MPH [Professor], The Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Amanda J. Ayers, MPH [Research Assistant], The Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA William DeJong, PhD [Professor], The Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Timothy S. Naimi, MD, MPH [Associate Professor], and The Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, The Section of General Internal Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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David H. Jernigan, PhD [Associate Professor] The Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Abstract Aim—No previous national study has reported the prevalence of alcohol brand consumption among underage youth by demographic characteristics. The aim of this study was to determine the alcohol brand preferences among underage drinkers in different demographic categories.
Author Manuscript
Method—We administered an online survey to a national sample of 1,031 underage youth, ages 13–20, who had consumed at least one drink of alcohol in the past 30 days. The sample was recruited from a previously established internet survey panel. The main outcome measure was the estimated 30-day consumption prevalence for each of 898 brands by age, gender, and race/ ethnicity. Results—Two beer brands—Bud Light and Budweiser—are uniformly popular among underage drinkers, regardless of age, gender, or race/ethnicity. There are several hard liquor brands whose use increases markedly with age. Two flavored alcoholic beverages sharing the names of hard liquor brands—Smirnoff and Bacardi—are more popular with older youth. Some flavored alcoholic beverages are about twice as popular among female underage drinkers. There are 12
Corresponding Author: Michael Siegel, MD, MPH, Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Crosstown Center, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, Third Floor, Boston, MA 02118; Telephone: 617-638-5167; Fax: 617-638-4483; [email protected].
Siegel et al.
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alcohol brands that are uniquely popular among Black underage drinkers, and these brands are heavily promoted in urban music. Conclusion—There are differential patterns of brand-specific alcohol use among underage drinkers. Keywords Alcohol; brand; youth
Introduction
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Surveillance of alcohol use is critical to understanding youth drinking behavior, but most existing surveillance has measured alcohol use at the level of alcoholic beverage type, not specific brand (Siegel et al., 2013a). Identifying the drinking patterns and negative consequences associated with different alcohol brands can help elucidate additional risk factors for youth alcohol use, and thereby bring a sharper focus to educational and policy efforts designed to reduce this problem behavior Previous studies that examined demographic differences in youth alcohol use have focused on types of alcohol rather than specific brands. In a study of ninth graders, Werch et al. (2006) found that females drank more flavored coolers than did males and more often consumed wine when drinking heavily. Males consumed greater quantities of beer. Moore and Werch (2007) found significant differences in alcoholic beverage choice by gender and ethnicity. Moreover, as the students aged, they reported consuming more liquor and beer, while also engaging in heavier drinking and chugging.
Author Manuscript
Roeber at al. (2007) looked at types of alcoholic beverages consumed by high school students in four U.S. states. Liquor was the most commonly used type of alcohol in each state, and there were few demographic differences due to race, ethnicity, grade, or gender. Similarly, Cremeens et al. (2009) found that hard liquor was the most commonly used alcoholic beverages among the high school students they studied, followed by beer and flavored alcoholic beverages. Siegel et al. (2011c) found that girls in grades 9–12 were more likely to drink flavored alcoholic beverages, wine coolers, and wine, while boys were more likely to drink liquor and beer,
Author Manuscript
These studies provide useful knowledge about the types of alcohol that youth drinkers prefer, but to date there are no available data on demographic differences in brand preferences, with the exception of a study by Tanski et al. (2011) that asked adolescents to identify their favorite alcohol brand. In an earlier paper, Siegel et al. (2013a) reported the alcohol brand preferences of U.S. underage drinkers overall, based on a national internet survey, but did not examine demographic differences in brand preferences. The purpose of this current study is to examine demographic differences in the alcohol brand preferences of underage drinkers in the United States by age, gender, and race/ethnicity.
J Subst Use. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 November 01.
Siegel et al.
Page 3
Author Manuscript
Methods Design Overview The details of the survey methodology appear elsewhere (Siegel et al., 2013a). Briefly, we obtained a sample of 1,031 underage youths, ages 13–20, who had consumed at least one drink of alcohol in the past month. The respondents were recruited from a pre-established internet survey panel constructed by Knowledge Networks (2012). We used an online, selfadministered survey, to determine all brands of alcohol consumed by the respondents during the past 30 days. For each brand, we inquired about the number of days on which it was consumed and the typical number of drinks of that brand on those days. The primary outcome variable was the prevalence of 30-day consumption of each brand. Sample
Author Manuscript
Knowledge Networks maintains a pre-recruited panel of approximately 50,000 adults (including young adults ages 18–20) who have agreed to join the panel and be invited to participate in periodic internet-based surveys (the Knowledge Panel®) (DiSogra, 2009). The company recruits households to its Knowledge Panel® sample through both random digit dialing (RDD) and address-based sampling (ABS). To ensure adequate representation of panelists across race/ethnicity, telephone numbers from phone banks with higher concentrations of Blacks and Hispanics are over-sampled. To ensure adequate participation across socioeconomic levels, subjects who do not have internet access are given WebTV and internet access and training for free.
Author Manuscript
Using its established internet panel, Knowledge Networks recruited youth ages 13–17 and young adults ages 18–20 via email to participate in our internet survey. Panelists ages 18–20 received an email invitation that did not indicate the survey was related to alcohol consumption. Each panelist agreeing to participate was emailed a link to a secure web site to complete a screening questionnaire which asked if the panelist consumed alcohol in the past 30 days and was thus eligible for the survey. We identified respondents ages 13–17 by asking adult panelists to indicate whether they had any children in this age group and, if so, whether they would grant permission to Knowledge Networks to survey those youth. Only one teen was selected randomly from each household. With parental consent, each identified youth received the emailed invitation sent to the older respondents.
Author Manuscript
For both age groups, the initial screening questionnaire asked respondents to report how many days out of the past 30 they had consumed at least one drink of alcohol. Respondents who had consumed at least one drink in the past 30 days received an online consent form. Participants who provided informed consent completed the internet-based questionnaire. After completion of the survey, a $25 gift was credited to the panel member’s account. This protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Boston University Medical Center.
J Subst Use. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 November 01.
Siegel et al.
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Author Manuscript
For the older youth sample, the screening completion rate was 46.2% (2,288 invitations, with 1,058 completed screenings). The survey completion rate was 93.8% (705 eligible respondents, with 661 completed surveys). Thus, the overall response rate for the older youth was 43.4% (46.2% multiplied by 93.8%). For the younger youth sample, the parent completion rate was 49.2% (an estimated 4,757 eligible households with one or more teens, with 2,341 parents giving consent). The screening completion rate was 94.0% (2,341 invitations, with 2,201 teens screened). The survey completion rate was 95.9% (387 eligible respondents, with 371 completed surveys). Thus, the overall response rate for the younger youth was 44.4% (49.2% multiplied by 94.0% multiplied by 95.9%).
Author Manuscript
One respondent who reported drinking more than 15 drinks per day of more than 20 alcohol brands was deleted from the data set and from all analyses. Thus, our final data set consisted of 1,031 individuals. The sample overrepresented females. It also skewed heavily towards older adolescents and college-age youth, due to the frequency of drinking, and thus survey eligibility, being higher among that group. Because the sample of 18–20 year-olds drew from existing Knowledge Networks panelists, we were able to compare 18–20 year-old respondents and non-respondents on basic demographic factors to help assess potential non-response bias, using a chi-square test to assess the significance of observed differences. The non-respondents were slightly older (p
J Subst Use. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 November 01. Published in final edited form as: J Subst Use. 2015 November 1; 20(6): 430–438. doi:10.3109/14659891.2014.942402.
Differences in alcohol brand consumption among underage youth by age, gender, and race/ethnicity – United States, 2012 Michael Siegel, MD, MPH [Professor], The Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Author Manuscript
Amanda J. Ayers, MPH [Research Assistant], The Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA William DeJong, PhD [Professor], The Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Timothy S. Naimi, MD, MPH [Associate Professor], and The Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, The Section of General Internal Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Author Manuscript
David H. Jernigan, PhD [Associate Professor] The Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Abstract Aim—No previous national study has reported the prevalence of alcohol brand consumption among underage youth by demographic characteristics. The aim of this study was to determine the alcohol brand preferences among underage drinkers in different demographic categories.
Author Manuscript
Method—We administered an online survey to a national sample of 1,031 underage youth, ages 13–20, who had consumed at least one drink of alcohol in the past 30 days. The sample was recruited from a previously established internet survey panel. The main outcome measure was the estimated 30-day consumption prevalence for each of 898 brands by age, gender, and race/ ethnicity. Results—Two beer brands—Bud Light and Budweiser—are uniformly popular among underage drinkers, regardless of age, gender, or race/ethnicity. There are several hard liquor brands whose use increases markedly with age. Two flavored alcoholic beverages sharing the names of hard liquor brands—Smirnoff and Bacardi—are more popular with older youth. Some flavored alcoholic beverages are about twice as popular among female underage drinkers. There are 12
Corresponding Author: Michael Siegel, MD, MPH, Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Crosstown Center, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, Third Floor, Boston, MA 02118; Telephone: 617-638-5167; Fax: 617-638-4483; [email protected].
Siegel et al.
Page 2
Author Manuscript
alcohol brands that are uniquely popular among Black underage drinkers, and these brands are heavily promoted in urban music. Conclusion—There are differential patterns of brand-specific alcohol use among underage drinkers. Keywords Alcohol; brand; youth
Introduction
Author Manuscript
Surveillance of alcohol use is critical to understanding youth drinking behavior, but most existing surveillance has measured alcohol use at the level of alcoholic beverage type, not specific brand (Siegel et al., 2013a). Identifying the drinking patterns and negative consequences associated with different alcohol brands can help elucidate additional risk factors for youth alcohol use, and thereby bring a sharper focus to educational and policy efforts designed to reduce this problem behavior Previous studies that examined demographic differences in youth alcohol use have focused on types of alcohol rather than specific brands. In a study of ninth graders, Werch et al. (2006) found that females drank more flavored coolers than did males and more often consumed wine when drinking heavily. Males consumed greater quantities of beer. Moore and Werch (2007) found significant differences in alcoholic beverage choice by gender and ethnicity. Moreover, as the students aged, they reported consuming more liquor and beer, while also engaging in heavier drinking and chugging.
Author Manuscript
Roeber at al. (2007) looked at types of alcoholic beverages consumed by high school students in four U.S. states. Liquor was the most commonly used type of alcohol in each state, and there were few demographic differences due to race, ethnicity, grade, or gender. Similarly, Cremeens et al. (2009) found that hard liquor was the most commonly used alcoholic beverages among the high school students they studied, followed by beer and flavored alcoholic beverages. Siegel et al. (2011c) found that girls in grades 9–12 were more likely to drink flavored alcoholic beverages, wine coolers, and wine, while boys were more likely to drink liquor and beer,
Author Manuscript
These studies provide useful knowledge about the types of alcohol that youth drinkers prefer, but to date there are no available data on demographic differences in brand preferences, with the exception of a study by Tanski et al. (2011) that asked adolescents to identify their favorite alcohol brand. In an earlier paper, Siegel et al. (2013a) reported the alcohol brand preferences of U.S. underage drinkers overall, based on a national internet survey, but did not examine demographic differences in brand preferences. The purpose of this current study is to examine demographic differences in the alcohol brand preferences of underage drinkers in the United States by age, gender, and race/ethnicity.
J Subst Use. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 November 01.
Siegel et al.
Page 3
Author Manuscript
Methods Design Overview The details of the survey methodology appear elsewhere (Siegel et al., 2013a). Briefly, we obtained a sample of 1,031 underage youths, ages 13–20, who had consumed at least one drink of alcohol in the past month. The respondents were recruited from a pre-established internet survey panel constructed by Knowledge Networks (2012). We used an online, selfadministered survey, to determine all brands of alcohol consumed by the respondents during the past 30 days. For each brand, we inquired about the number of days on which it was consumed and the typical number of drinks of that brand on those days. The primary outcome variable was the prevalence of 30-day consumption of each brand. Sample
Author Manuscript
Knowledge Networks maintains a pre-recruited panel of approximately 50,000 adults (including young adults ages 18–20) who have agreed to join the panel and be invited to participate in periodic internet-based surveys (the Knowledge Panel®) (DiSogra, 2009). The company recruits households to its Knowledge Panel® sample through both random digit dialing (RDD) and address-based sampling (ABS). To ensure adequate representation of panelists across race/ethnicity, telephone numbers from phone banks with higher concentrations of Blacks and Hispanics are over-sampled. To ensure adequate participation across socioeconomic levels, subjects who do not have internet access are given WebTV and internet access and training for free.
Author Manuscript
Using its established internet panel, Knowledge Networks recruited youth ages 13–17 and young adults ages 18–20 via email to participate in our internet survey. Panelists ages 18–20 received an email invitation that did not indicate the survey was related to alcohol consumption. Each panelist agreeing to participate was emailed a link to a secure web site to complete a screening questionnaire which asked if the panelist consumed alcohol in the past 30 days and was thus eligible for the survey. We identified respondents ages 13–17 by asking adult panelists to indicate whether they had any children in this age group and, if so, whether they would grant permission to Knowledge Networks to survey those youth. Only one teen was selected randomly from each household. With parental consent, each identified youth received the emailed invitation sent to the older respondents.
Author Manuscript
For both age groups, the initial screening questionnaire asked respondents to report how many days out of the past 30 they had consumed at least one drink of alcohol. Respondents who had consumed at least one drink in the past 30 days received an online consent form. Participants who provided informed consent completed the internet-based questionnaire. After completion of the survey, a $25 gift was credited to the panel member’s account. This protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Boston University Medical Center.
J Subst Use. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 November 01.
Siegel et al.
Page 4
Author Manuscript
For the older youth sample, the screening completion rate was 46.2% (2,288 invitations, with 1,058 completed screenings). The survey completion rate was 93.8% (705 eligible respondents, with 661 completed surveys). Thus, the overall response rate for the older youth was 43.4% (46.2% multiplied by 93.8%). For the younger youth sample, the parent completion rate was 49.2% (an estimated 4,757 eligible households with one or more teens, with 2,341 parents giving consent). The screening completion rate was 94.0% (2,341 invitations, with 2,201 teens screened). The survey completion rate was 95.9% (387 eligible respondents, with 371 completed surveys). Thus, the overall response rate for the younger youth was 44.4% (49.2% multiplied by 94.0% multiplied by 95.9%).
Author Manuscript
One respondent who reported drinking more than 15 drinks per day of more than 20 alcohol brands was deleted from the data set and from all analyses. Thus, our final data set consisted of 1,031 individuals. The sample overrepresented females. It also skewed heavily towards older adolescents and college-age youth, due to the frequency of drinking, and thus survey eligibility, being higher among that group. Because the sample of 18–20 year-olds drew from existing Knowledge Networks panelists, we were able to compare 18–20 year-old respondents and non-respondents on basic demographic factors to help assess potential non-response bias, using a chi-square test to assess the significance of observed differences. The non-respondents were slightly older (p
