Knowledge and beliefs about alcohol consumption, longer-term health risks, and the link with cancer in a sample of Australian adults

Cotter, Trish; Perez, Donna; Dunlop, Sally; Kite, James; Gaskin, Clive

doi:10.1071/nb12089

Cited by 12 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…For example, less than one‐quarter of our sample were aware of specific types of cancer. This is consistent with low rates of awareness of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer in other studies 9–12 . Surprisingly, one‐third of the sample did not say that harm to unborn babies was a consequence of alcohol use.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…For instance, it is estimated that 14%‐48% of drinkers list alcohol as a risk factor for cancer, 9–12 between 5% and 79% of drinkers are aware that alcohol is a risk factor for heart disease, 10,11,13 and 20%‐27% are aware is it linked to an increased risk of stroke 14,15 . However, one Australian study indicates a near perfect (98% of their sample) awareness of the link between alcohol use and liver problems 11 . There is limited research examining the extent of understanding drinkers have regarding the short‐term consequences of alcohol‐use, such as injuries, blackouts, or traffic accidents.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Young adults have typically been found to have poor understanding of alcohol‐related short‐ and long‐term social and health harms (as measured by an aggregate scale) 16 . Further, one Australian study found that less than half of drinkers were aware that alcohol causes cancer with no significant difference in awareness between light, moderate, and heavy drinkers 11 . Another UK study found no differences by age, gender, education, or ethnicity in the proportion who believed alcohol to be a risk factor for cancer (14%) or heart disease (25%) 10 …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…8 Typically, there is a low awareness among adult drinkers of the harmful consequences of alcohol use. For instance, it is estimated that 14%-48% of drinkers list alcohol as a risk factor for cancer, [9][10][11][12] between 5% and 79% of drinkers are aware that alcohol is a risk factor for heart disease, 10,11,13 and 20%-27% are aware is it linked to an increased risk of stroke. 14,15 However, one Australian study indicates a near perfect (98% of their sample) awareness of the link between alcohol use and liver problems.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…14,15 However, one Australian study indicates a near perfect (98% of their sample) awareness of the link between alcohol use and liver problems. 11 There is limited research examining the extent of understanding drinkers have regarding the short-term consequences of alcohol-use, such as injuries, blackouts, or traffic accidents. For example, while one study demonstrated that drinkers' perceptions of risk of short-term harms associated with their own drinking is low, their study used an aggregate measure of harms rather than examining perceptions of risk for individual consequences of drinking.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Awareness and correlates of short‐term and long‐term consequences of alcohol use among Australian drinkers

Coomber

Mayshak

Curtis

2017

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

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Objective: To investigate awareness of short-term and long-term consequences of alcohol use among a sample of Australian adult drinkers. Demographic correlates of the awareness of each consequence were also explored. Methods:Participants aged 18-45 years (n=1,061; mean age=33.2 years) drawn from an online panel completed a web-based survey assessing demographics, awareness of alcohol warning labels, and awareness of seven short-term and 12 long-term consequences of alcohol use. Results:The level of awareness of short-and long-term consequences ranged from 16% (breast cancer) to 69% (low coordination and slower reflexes). The study found consistent differences in awareness of consequences by gender, with some differences for specific consequences by age, education, SES, rurality and awareness of alcohol warning labels. Conclusions:Most consumers lack a sufficient understanding of the potential consequences of alcohol use. Particular subgroups of drinkers may not equate drinking with negative consequences.Implications for public health: Front-of-label alcohol warnings on all products and public health and education campaigns presenting messages targeting subgroups of drinkers could increase awareness of short-and long-term negative health and social effects of alcohol use.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Awareness and correlates of short‐term and long‐term consequences of alcohol use among Australian drinkers

Coomber

Mayshak

Curtis

2017

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

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Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention: A Potential Role in Cancer Prevention for Young Adults

McKnight-Eily

Henley

Green

et al. 2017

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

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Excessive or risky alcohol use is a preventable cause of significant morbidity and mortality in the U.S. and worldwide. Alcohol use is a common preventable cancer risk factor among young adults; it is associated with increased risk of developing at least six types of cancer. Alcohol consumed during early adulthood may pose a higher risk of female breast cancer than alcohol consumed later in life. Reducing alcohol use may help prevent cancer. Alcohol misuse screening and brief counseling or intervention (also called alcohol screening and brief intervention among other designations) is known to reduce excessive alcohol use, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that it be implemented for all adults aged ≥ 18 years in primary healthcare settings. Because the prevalence of excessive alcohol use, particularly binge drinking, peaks among young adults, this time of life may present a unique window of opportunity to talk about the cancer risk associated with alcohol use and how to reduce that risk by reducing excessive drinking or misuse. This article briefly describes alcohol screening and brief intervention, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended approach, and suggests a role for it in the context of cancer prevention. The article also briefly discusses how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to make alcohol screening and brief intervention a routine element of health care in all primary care settings to identify and help young adults who drink too much.

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Awareness of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer: A population-based cross-sectional study among 3000 Danish men and women

Thomsen

Christensen

Meyer

2020

Preventive Medicine Reports

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Alcohol increases the risk of several cancer types. However, awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer is estimated to be low in Denmark. The objective of this study was to examine awareness of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer in the Danish population. 3000 Danish men and women aged 18–74 years, who are nationally representative participated in a cross-sectional study. Open and closed-ended questions were used to assess unprompted and prompted cancer awareness in relation to the respondents’ demographic profile, alcohol consumption and use of tobacco. Unprompted, 22.2% of respondents were aware of the link between alcohol and cancer, whereas prompted 44.8% were aware of this. When prompted about specific cancer types, 39.5% were aware of the fact that alcohol increases the risk of liver cancer and only 9.6% were aware of the link between alcohol and breast cancer. Being aware of the link between alcohol and cancer was associated with being female, having a higher level of education, living in the Capital Region of Denmark, as well as being a non-smoker. There were no statistical significant associations between awareness of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer and the respondents’ age, marital status and alcohol consumption. Conclusively, the study confirms a rather low public awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer in the Danish population, especially regarding certain cancer types such as breast cancer. There is a continued need to inform the public about the relationship between alcohol and cancer.

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Knowledge and beliefs about alcohol consumption, longer-term health risks, and the link with cancer in a sample of Australian adults

Abstract: The current Australian guidelines, the longer-term health risks and the link with cancer are not well understood, especially by those who drink frequently and above the guidelines.

Cited by 12 publications

References 9 publications

Awareness and correlates of short‐term and long‐term consequences of alcohol use among Australian drinkers

Awareness and correlates of short‐term and long‐term consequences of alcohol use among Australian drinkers

Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention: A Potential Role in Cancer Prevention for Young Adults

Awareness of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer: A population-based cross-sectional study among 3000 Danish men and women

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