title: The relationship between alcohol price and brand choice among underage drinkers: are the most popular alcoholic brands consumed by youth the cheapest?
abstract: We examined the influence of price on alcohol brand choice among underage youth. Using a national sample of 1,032 youth, ages 13-20, recruited from a national Internet panel in 2011-2012, we compared differences in mean prices between popular and unpopular brands, examined the association of price and brand popularity using logistic regression, and rank ordered the average price of top brands. Lower brand-specific prices were significantly associated with higher levels of past 30-day consumption prevalence. However, youth did not preferentially consume the cheapest brands. These findings indicate that youth have preferences for certain brands, even if those brands cost more than competing brands. Our study highlights the need for research on the impact of brand-specific alcohol marketing on underage drinking.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health , Boston, Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: Alison B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Albers
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: DeJong
authors.forename: Timothy S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Naimi
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Jernigan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: alcohol; alcohol brands; price; surveillance; underage drinking; youth