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The songs young people listen to could be encouraging them to drink more alcohol. This is the conclusion of a study into the extent to which lyrics contain references to drinking. Researchers from the John Moores University in Liverpool, England assert that public health warnings on liquor may be of diminishing value because of the prevalence of terms surrounding alcohol in pop songs. The study found that one in five songs in the UK music charts contains references to intoxicating beverages. This figure is double that from a decade ago. They also found that songs from 1981 contained relatively few references to alcohol. John Moores attributed some of the rise to an influx of US-imported songs.
Researchers said the exposure of young people to alcohol in the media is "a major concern". Professor Karen Hughes warned that references to alcohol are a "form of advertising and marketing for alcoholic products." She said: "Public health concerns are already focused on the impacts of alcohol advertising on the drinking behaviours of young people, yet the growing reference to alcohol in popular music could mean that positive, alcohol-promoting messages are reaching much larger audiences." Dr Hughes added: "Health and other professionals should be vigilant to ensure that popular music does not become a medium for reinforcing and extending cultures of intoxication and alcohol-related harm."
