Association Between Residential Exposure to Outdoor Alcohol Advertising and Problem Drinking Among African American Women in New York City

We evaluated the association between residential exposure to Outdoor alcohol advertising and current problem drinking among 139 African American women aged 21 to 49 years in Central Harlem, New York City. We found that exposure to advertisements was positively related to problem drinking (13% greater odds), even after we controlled for a family history of alcohol problems and socioeconomic status. The results suggest that the density of alcohol advertisements in predominantly African American neighborhoods may add to problem drinking behavior of their residents. (Am J Public Health. 2009;99:228-230. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2007.132217)