Health Warnings on Alcoholic Beverages: Perceptions of the Health Risks and Intentions towards Alcohol Consumption

Wigg, Sophie; Stafford, Lorenzo D.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0153027

Cited by 69 publications

(104 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…These results confirm that warning labelling appears least likely to influence behaviour amongst those that would benefit most from a reduction in drinking. Thus, in accordance with previous research, to improve the overall impact of warning labelling, salient messages with greater force for young adults should be included, such as pictorial warnings tailored to the characteristics and age of this consumer cohort [9,10,11,12,22,33,34,35]. Moreover, in accordance with Argo and Main [47], given that in most cases young drinkers do not see the label on the container, as alcohol is generally consumed in a glass, warning posters in places licensed to sell alcoholic beverages could be more effective.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

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

2017

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The introduction of health warnings on labels to correct externalities associated with alcohol consumption is heavily debated and has been explored from different perspectives. The current paper aims to analyse the interest and attitudes of Italian university students regarding health warnings on alcoholic beverages and to verify the existence of segments that differ in terms of attitudes towards such warnings. Our results show that young consumers consider health warnings quite important, although the degree of perceived utility differs in relation to the type of warning. Cluster analysis shows the existence of three groups of young consumers with different degrees of attention and perceived utility of warnings on alcoholic beverages, but also in relation to drinking behaviour and awareness of social and health risks related to alcohol consumption. In brief, Italian young adults with moderate consumption behaviour view label warnings positively, while this attitude is weaker among younger adults and those with riskier consumption behaviours. Our findings, albeit limited and based on stated and not revealed data, support the need for appropriate tools to improve the availability of information among young adults on the risks of excessive alcohol consumption and increased awareness of the importance of moderate drinking.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

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

2017

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“…The study suffers from a lack of ecological validity and response options were limited. Some research suggests picture labels may be more effective than text only labels (Wigg & Stafford, 2016). Even if detailed health information is mandated, the alcohol industry may attempt to thwart such initiatives, as was recently the case in Canada (Austen, 2018).…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such messages appeared to be successful in increasing awareness of these risks in the general population (Kaskutas & Greenfield, 1992;Mazis, Morris, & Swasy, 1991), but there was scant evidence to suggest they would change people's drinking behaviours (Stockwell, 2006). There was increasing recognition of the need for a more targeted approach to alcohol messaging, taking into account consumer demographics and preferences (Andrews, 1995), alongside a need for messages to be have better clarity (Wigg & Stafford, 2016) and be more specific (Pettigrew et al, 2014). In light of this need, a number of researchers started to explore the potential effectiveness of messages about specific health impacts of drinking, and in particular the risks of alcohol and cancer.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of Alcohol Health Warning Labels in a Large International Cross-Sectional Survey of People Who Drink Alcohol

Winstock

Holmes

Ferris

et al. 2019

Alcohol and Alcoholism

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Aims This paper aimed to explore perceptions of alcohol health warning labels amongst a large international sample of people who drink alcohol. Methods The Global Drug Survey (GDS) is the world’s largest annual cross sectional survey of drug use. Seven health warning labels were presented (relating to heart disease, liver, cancer, calories, violence, taking two days off and the myth of benefits to moderate drinking). People were asked if they were aware of the information, believed it, if it was personally relevant, and if it would change their drinking. This paper included data from 75,969 respondents from 29 countries/regions who reported the use of alcohol in the last 12 months, collected during November–December 2017 (GDS2018). Results The fact that drinking less can reduce the risk of seven types of cancer was the least well known, and yet was demonstrated to encourage almost 40% of drinkers to consider drinking less. Women and high risk drinkers were more likely to indicate they would reduce their drinking in response to all labels. Personal relevance was identified as a key predictor of individual responses. Conclusion Findings highlight the potential of a range of health messages displayed on alcoholic beverages to raise awareness of alcohol-related harms and potentially support a reduction in drinking. Further research should explore what influences personal relevance of messages as this may be a barrier to effectiveness.

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“…Evidence regarding the impact of HWLs on alcohol and food products is limited [13]. The very few studies investigating image-and-text HWLs on alcohol products are promising, with such HWLs slowing consumption [14] and reducing intentions to drink [15]. However, these studies are based on very small sample sizes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Image-and-text health warning labels on alcohol and food: potential effectiveness and acceptability

et al. 2020

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Background: Health warning labels (HWLs) using images and text to depict the negative health consequences of tobacco consumption are effective and acceptable for changing smoking-related outcomes. There is currently limited evidence concerning their potential use for reducing consumption of alcoholic drinks and energy-dense foods. The aim of this research was to describe the potential effectiveness and acceptability of image-and-text (also known as pictorial or graphic) HWLs applied to: i. alcoholic drinks and ii. energy-dense snack foods. Methods: Two online studies were conducted using between-subjects designs with general population samples. Participants rated one of 21 image-and-text HWLs on alcoholic drinks (n = 5528), or one of 18 image-and-text HWLs on energy-dense snacks (n = 4618). HWLs comprised a graphic image with explanatory text, depicting, respectively, seven diseases linked to excess alcohol consumption, and six diseases linked to excess energy intake. Diseases included heart disease and various cancers. Outcomes were negative emotional arousal, desire to consume the labelled product, and acceptability of the label. Free-text comments relating to HWLs were content analysed. Results: For both alcoholic drinks and energy-dense snacks, HWLs depicting bowel cancer generated the highest levels of negative emotional arousal and lowest desire to consume the product, but were the least acceptable. Acceptability was generally low for HWLs applied to alcohol, with 3 of 21 rated as acceptable, and was generally high for snacks, with 13 of 18 rated as acceptable. The majority of free-text comments expressed negative reactions to HWLs on alcohol or energy-dense snacks. Conclusions: Image-and-text health warning labels depicting bowel cancer showed greatest potential for reducing selection and consumption of alcoholic drinks and energy-dense snacks, although they were the least acceptable. Laboratory and field studies are needed to assess their impact on selection and consumption.

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Health Warnings on Alcoholic Beverages: Perceptions of the Health Risks and Intentions towards Alcohol Consumption

Cited by 69 publications

References 25 publications

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

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

Perceptions of Alcohol Health Warning Labels in a Large International Cross-Sectional Survey of People Who Drink Alcohol

Image-and-text health warning labels on alcohol and food: potential effectiveness and acceptability

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