With Latino/Latina youths viewing a disproportionately high number of alcohol ads compared with other young people, parents need to have open discussions with their children so they will delay drinking, the Al Día weekly newspaper (Philadelphia) reported Aug. 14.

According to a 2003 report from the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, alcohol advertisers spent $23.6 million in 2002 to run ads on 12 of the 15 television programs most watched by Hispanic youths. The report added that Hispanic youths saw 24 to 32 percent more alcohol advertising in magazines than did non-Hispanic young people.

With unintentional injuries, homicide and suicide constituting the three leading causes of death among Hispanic youths ages 12 to 20, and alcohol a prominent factor in all of these categories, the article urges parents not to avoid conversations about alcohol and unwittingly deliver the message that it is OK for children to drink.

According to the 2007 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Hispanic teens are more likely than their non-Hispanic peers to ride in a car with someone who has been drinking, and also more likely to drink on school property.

The newspaper article discusses in detail the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's (NIAAA's) "Talk to Your Children About Alcohol" initiative, listing tips for parents such as asking open-ended questions of youths and responding constructively rather than emotionally.