Half of young drinkers are unaware of health messages about alcohol packaging

According to a new study, barely half of drinkers aged 11 to 19 remember having seen health messages or warnings about alcohol packaging, although they do constitute a market important target for this information.

Posted in Public Health Journal, the research – led by the University of Stirling and the Cancer Research UK Cancer Research Center – determined the extent to which British 11-19 years were aware of product information, health messages or warnings on alcohol packaging during the previous month. .

The research team found that of those who identified as "current drinkers," only half had remembered seeing such information – this figure dropped to one-third of the entire age group, whatever their current state of consumption.

This is the first study to examine the awareness and recall of such messages on a large and demographically representative sample of young people from across the UK – and experts believe the results will support the design debate, the efficiency and regulation of alcohol labeling in the UK. .

Dr. Nathan Critchlow, Research Fellow at the Stirling Institute of Social Marketing (ISM), led the study. He said: "In the UK and around the world, there are many calls to increase the visibility, understanding and effectiveness of labeling on alcohol packaging. often highlight the legal measures taken for nutrition labeling of food and beverages, or health warnings and messages about tobacco products, and ask why the labeling of food products and beverages. alcohol, which is self-regulated by the industry, is not so progressive.

"The Scottish Government has also made the commitment, in its latest strategy, to consider mandatory labeling if the alcoholic beverage sector does not improve visibility and clarity until September. 2019, while the Republic of Ireland is already considering introducing similar legislation.

"Our latest research provides timely and unique information that will help inform these debates."

Dr. Critchlow led the study with colleagues from ISM, Dr. Crawford Moodie, Dr. Niamh Fitzgerald, Dr. Anne Marie MacKintosh and Dr. Daniel Jones, along with Chris Thomas, Jyotsna Vohra and Lucie Hooper, Cancer Policy. Research Center Cancer Research UK.

The study used data from the Youth Alcohol Policy Survey 2017 – a cross-sectional survey conducted by YouGov from ages 11 to 19 across the UK. Participants were asked if they had seen product information, health messages or warnings on alcohol packaging in the past month and, if so, what messages they had recalled. This age group is particularly important because exposure to clear and effective messages during their formative consumer experiences can have a lasting impact on the knowledge, attitudes and behavior related to it. alcohol.

"We have explored the knowledge of this information and the differences between population groups and different levels of alcohol consumption, for example if a young person is currently drinking alcohol or not," said Dr. Critchlow.

"Only one-third of 11-to-19-year-olds have been reminded to have seen product information, health messages, or warnings about alcohol packaging over the past month, especially about half of current drinkers. were aware of these messages, although they are an important target market for these products.

"The recall of specific messages was also low, almost half of the youth did not know what messages they had seen and most of the specific messages were only recalled by a minority of young people. alcohol consumption, health effects or alcohol product subject to an age limit. "

Dr. Jyotsna Vohra, co-author of Cancer Research UK, responsible for cancer policy research, said: "Besides the fact that children drink well, it is worrying that only half remember that they have seen important warnings about their health – these labels do not give all the information from the CMO [Chief Medical Officer] says they should, especially highlighting the risk between alcohol and cancer. Alcohol is badociated with seven types of cancer in adults and is responsible for more than 12,000 cases per year. Yet only one in ten is aware of this risk. "

"The more a person drinks, the higher his cancer risk is high.That's why it's important to do more to reduce alcohol consumption in the UK." All labels should also make it clear that people should not drink more than 14 units a week, all those who drink will continue to develop cancer, there is no harm in reducing their consumption. "

The document, Sensitizing adolescents to information on products, health messages and warnings on alcoholic beverage packaging: a cross-sectional survey in the United Kingdom, is published in the Public Health Journal