This research project is designed to determine the effects on the perceptions of alcohol amongst Australian high school students caused by alcohol sponsorship of sporting teams and events.
Aims
The aims of this research are to determine:
• How young Australians perceive alcohol and what effects sport sponsorship has on these perceptions
• Attitudes towards alcohol consumption and how these are effected by sport sponsorship
Significance
While research has been conducted internationally there is no Australian research examining this issue within the Australian society. This research establishes the connection between alcohol sponsorship of Australian sporting events and the perceptions and attitudes held by Australian teenagers towards alcohol. The research will also determine whether a greater effect is had on males than females or vice versa and how the effects differ depending on age and social demographics. It is important to determine whether alcohol sponsorship of sporting events is contributing to the development of alcohol related problems and alcoholism in order to assess whether further restrictions need to be put in place.
Literature Review
There is much conjecture surrounding the issue of alcohol companies sponsoring sporting teams and events. Many groups believe that a ban similar to that placed on tobacco companies should be placed on alcohol companies (Jones, 2010) given that alcohol companies benefit from the association with elite athletes and the perception of a healthy lifestyle (Rehm & Kanteres, 2008). While concerns are expressed from sporting bodies that the significant loss of revenue which would result from banning alcohol sponsorships outweighs any social benefits; a solution was found for lapsed tobacco sponsorships which were replaced by health promotion organizations (D'Arcy, et al., 1997). Many similarities have been drawn between tobacco and alcohol sponsorships and some researchers have suggested that
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