Impact of Marketing of Alcohol Products on Young People

Responsible for 3.3 million deaths worldwide, alcohol consumption causes diseases (liver cirrhosis, cancers, etc.) and social problems (injuries, road accidents, alcohol dependence, etc.). With one of the highest consumption rate in Europe, alcohol is the second cause of avoidable mortality in France after tobacco (49.000 alcohol attributable deaths in 2009) and its social cost is estimated to 120 billion euros. French teenage population is particularly associated with heavy drinking patterns: in 2014, 49% of 17-year olds declared heavy episodic drinking.

In that regard, several measures are recommended by health actors to combat this issue: minimum unit pricing, sales ban to minor, low blood alcohol concentration for drivers, etc. A specific measure concerns alcohol advertising restrictions. Some countries implemented alcohol advertising regulation laws (Poland, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, etc.), including France with the Evin law passed in 1991. This French law mandates advertising (and packaging) content to strictly convey factual information and objective qualities of alcohol products and thus bans attractive ads based on image and lifestyle evocations (seduction, power, etc.).

The objective of this research is to investigate whether statutory framework for alcohol advertising (e.g., Evin law) can effectively protect people against misleading, suggestive, and appealing content. Little research has been conducted on this topic in spite of WHO's recommendations (most research has explored the influence of exposure to ads but not the impact of content).

Inclusion criteria

• volunteer males
• aged 18-25
• right-handed
• persons that consume alcohol : " light drinkers " or "heavy drinkers" (defined with the AUDIT scale, scores between 1 to 7)
• written consent and agreement consent will be given
• Affiliated to the French social insurance

Exclusion criteria

• color-blind persons
• misuse of psychoactive products (except tobacco) (cannabis : no regular consumers -more than 10 times per month ; no users of other illicit drugs - even for occasional consumption)
• non fluent french speaking persons (people who couldn't understand instructions or asked questions)
• persons subject to major legal protection (safeguarding justice, guardianship, trusteeship), persons deprived of liberty

Related to the MRI:

• Cardiac pacemaker or implanted defibrillator
• Cochlear implant
• Peripheral or neuronal stimulator
• Intra-ocular or brain metallic foreign bodies
• Any other contraindications to MRI