Delphi Evaluation of Alcohol Advertising Codes

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Abstract As part an R21 exploratory and developmental research project supported by NIAAA, we have been developing procedures that can be used by public health professionals and government officials to monitor the content of alcohol advertising on television and in other media. In this R01 application, we propose to conduct two inter-related studies to validate a new rating procedure designed to detect code violations in industry guidelines for responsible advertising. Study 1 will examine the validity of Delphi technique as an enhanced method to evaluate advertising code violations. The Delphi technique consists of a series of sequential questionnaires or 'rounds', interspersed by controlled feedback, that attempts to obtain the most reliable consensus of opinion from a group of experts or important constituency groups. The research will use a two group repeated measures cross-over design that compares the guideline ratings of a "vulnerability group" and an "expert group" at Time 1 (initial rating) and Time 2 (feedback-assisted rating). The Vulnerability group will consist of 150 research volunteers selected to represent the vulnerability characteristics (e.g., women of childbearing age, underage drinkers, minority ethnic group status) the industry codes were designed to protect. The Expert group will consist of 150 research volunteers selected on the basis of their expertise in five areas (e.g., public health, psychiatry) considered to be highly relevant to the evaluation of industry advertising guidelines from a public health perspective. Following completion of the first round ratings, participants will be randomized to receive feedback either from their own group or from the other group. Study 2 will build on the findings of Study 1 in order to conduct the first systematic evaluation of a nationally representative series of alcohol advertisements. The research will apply the Delphi technique to the ratings of up to 45 TV advertisements that have been broadcast in national markets likely to be viewed by large numbers of young adults and other vulnerable populations. The long-term goals of this research are to develop both methodological tools and empirical findings that will protect vulnerable populations and enhance the ability of regulatory agencies to monitor alcoholic beverage advertising.