Alcohol warning labels: unlikely to affect alcohol‐related beliefs and behaviours in adolescents

Abstract

Objective: In Australia, many health researchers and policy makers are advocating for mandated warning labels on alcoholic beverages. Alcohol‐related harms are of particular concern among adolescents. The aim of this article was to review the available literature and evaluate the impact of alcohol warning labels on adolescent drinking, knowledge and behaviour. Approach: A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Scholarly databases were searched for relevant research articles. Broad inclusion criteria were applied due to the relative paucity of literature. Conclusion: The introduction of alcohol warning labels was shown to be associated with initial increased awareness of alcohol warning label law, exposure to the labels, and increased recognition of the warning label messages. Conversely, little change was observed in terms of beliefs about the risks of alcohol use or participation in risky alcohol‐related behaviours. These findings are similar to those reported among adult samples. However, the vast majority of the literature originated from the same group of authors, with samples drawn from a single geographical region. This may greatly limit the generalisablity of these findings. Implications: The introduction of alcohol warning labels in Australia may increase awareness about the risks of alcohol consumption among adolescents; however, these labels appear unlikely to change adolescent drinking behaviours or beliefs about alcohol‐related risks. Further research in multiple cultural contexts is required to confirm these findings. Alcohol warning labels should be considered as only one aspect of a range of other proven strategies to change knowledge, attitudes and behaviour.

Developing cancer warning statements for alcoholic beverages

“…This finding is consistent with reported high levels of support for mandatory warnings on alcohol products in Australia [15, 30]. There were some significant differences in the outcome variables by respondent and message characteristics.…”

Alcohol Warnings and Moderate Drinking Patterns among Italian University Students: An Exploratory Study

“…Lastly, the youngsters with both higher drinking frequency and heavy drinking behaviour, mainly motivated by imitating friends and are uninformed about social and health risks associated with alcohol consumption (e.g., cluster 3), do not pay attention to warning labels and perceive them as being of little use or relevance. Overall, in line with Scholes-Balog et al (2012) [11], it may be stated that individual characteristics of young adults may moderate the impact of alcohol warning labels as well as the differences in their alcohol consumption behaviour.…”

“…Health warnings are widely considered a useful way to inform consumers on risks associated with alcohol and can also potentially reduce dangerous drinking behaviour by increasing consumer awareness of the harmful effects of alcohol [11,19]. The premise underlying the introduction of such labels is that these warnings would provide a significant symbolic message about the dangerous quality of the product [20].…”

“…However, he also concludes that warning labels had no significant impact on drinking behaviour, though associated with increased discussion of the harmful effects of alcohol consumption. In their review, Scholes-Balog et al (2012) [11] suggested that adolescents may be a particularly good audience for such warning labels as they appear to be more supportive than adults of the warning messages. Annunziata et al (2016) [14] reveal that among Italian wine consumers, individuals belonging to the lower age groups (18–35) seem more interested in health warnings on the label than older respondents.…”

“…Furthermore, several studies show that recognition of alcohol warning labels is limited when warnings are voluntarily placed by the alcohol industry, as they tend to be text-based, indirect, vague, and barely visible [7,8]. Much has been written on the impact of the introduction of alcohol warning labels on consumer attitudes, knowledge, and behaviour, suggesting that alcohol warning labels may improve knowledge and attitudes regarding the harmful consequences of alcohol use among adults [9,10,11]. Other studies have been carried out to explore consumer reactions to alternative formats on warning labels, highlighting the importance of framing and the emotional appeal of a health warning [8,12,13].…”