Students attending schools where 20 percent of the student body is Hispanic are far more likely to be exposed to alcohol advertising than students attending schools with fewer Hispanic students, according to researchers from the University of Florida and the University of Texas.

The researchers studied 63 elementary schools in Chicago where most students were minorities and came from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The study found 771 alcohol advertisements in the area surrounding 27 schools with 20 percent Hispanic populations, compared to the 160 advertisements that appeared near the 36 schools where there were fewer Hispanic students.

The advertisements seemed to target Hispanic youth: they showed cartoon images and animals and highlighted Hispanic culture by using Spanish words and colors from the Mexican flag, said lead researcher Kelli Komro, an epidemiology professor at the University of Florida and the Institute for Child Health Policy. "This is a concern because we know from past research that exposure to ads is associated with alcohol use and intentions to use alcohol," she said.

The findings were published Sept. 27, 2008 in the journal Ethnicity & Health.