AMA wants to ban booze ads aimed at teens

With new evidence suggesting alcohol impairs development of the young brain, physicians are urged to actively work at reducing adolescent drinking.

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, amednews staff. Jan. 13, 2003.

Of the four quadriplegics that Norman Wetterau, MD, a family physician in Dansville, N.Y., counts among his patients, three became disabled during their teen years as a result of incidents connected with drinking. One was the victim of a gunshot wound. Another was in a motorcycle crash linked to drunk driving. And the third was the victim of a fall.

Dr. Wetterau's experience is not all that uncommon. Evidence of the physical harm caused by imbibing at a young age has long been a major motivator for health advocates to attempt to reign in teen drinking.

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At its Interim Meeting in December 2002, the AMA added fuel to this effort by releasing new evidence that alcohol may actually cause changes in the brain that impair learning.

"We've known for years that alcohol makes kids dead," said Michael A. Scotti Jr., MD, AMA senior vice president of professional standards. "What we have here is evidence that it makes them dumb."

The AMA's report -- "Harmful Consequences of Alcohol Use on the Brains of Children, Adolescents and College Students" -- drew on several decades of research documenting changes in the young. These include shrinkage of the hippocampus, damage that is not found in adult drinkers. Some suspect that this damage, which can impact memory and learning, may be irreversible.

"This review should dispel the myth that young people are more resilient to the effects of alcohol than adults," said AMA Board Chair J. Edward Hill, MD.

Young people who drink alcohol show shrinkage of the hippocampus.

The Association also issued a challenge to cable and broadcast television networks to cease airing alcohol advertising during times when young people are most likely to be watching. This action was in response to the scientific findings and to research by the Georgetown University Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, which concluded that children and adolescents see far more advertising for beer and hard liquor than do adults.

Specifically, the AMA called for a ban on alcohol ads before 10 p.m. and during any show in which underage viewers make up 15% or more of the audience. The AMA would also like to have cartoons and mascots that may appeal to younger viewers banned.

"It's time for TV executives and the alcohol industry to stop profiting at the hands of those most harmed by drinking," said Dr. Hill.

The Association has long had a policy calling for a ban on all alcohol advertising outside of liquor stores and bars. "The AMA still wants a ban, but you have to get half-way to your destination before you complete the trip," said Dr. Scotti.

Physicians have a part to play

According to several delegates at the Interim Meeting, doctors, too, bear some direct responsibility to take action. They advocated increased physician involvement in the community with regard to alcohol policy.

"First you go to your county medical society, and you set up a committee," said Jim Blaine, MD, a family and emergency physician from Springfield, Mo. "You get people from the community on the committee who are from the top. You want people who have the ability to say 'yes' -- such as your prosecuting attorney and your superintendent of schools. That's the way you get things done. It's a fun thing to get involved in."

Doctors who do not wish to become activists can still address teen drinking on a one-to-one basis.

"Substance abuse is the No. 1 medical problem of young people, and alcohol is the No. 1 substance," said Dr. Wetterau, who is also an addiction medicine specialist. "When a teenager comes into a physician's office for a physical and we do not ask about alcohol use, we're doing this teenager a great disservice. We're letting them know that we don't think alcohol is a problem. The medical profession needs to start dealing with this in a responsible way."