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 “We are increasingly aware of the harms associated with alcohol
consumption, and we need to communicate what the harms are and how
to reduce them,” said lead author Sandra Jones of Australian
Catholic University in Melbourne.
“As the evidence of harm increases, the alcohol industry is trying
the tobacco industry strategy of confusing people with messages
while appearing to be doing the right thing,” she told Reuters
Health in a telephone interview.
Alcohol consumption is linked with alcohol use disorders, liver
cirrhosis, cancer, suicide, violence, heart disease and fetal
alcohol syndrome, as well as socioeconomic consequences such as
unemployment, loss of income and barriers to healthcare, Jones’ team
writes in PLoS One.
The Australian Government National Health and Medical Research
Council recommends having no more than two drinks per day and no
more than four drinks in one session to reduce the risk of
alcohol-related injuries and diseases.
“Responsible drinking” campaigns emerged in the early 1970s as a way
to address risky drinking and consequences, and they were largely
sponsored by public health agencies and organizations, the study
team writes.
More recently, industry-sponsored messages have emerged. For
example, DrinkWise, a public relations organization in Australia
funded by the alcohol industry, recently promoted a “How to Drink
Properly” campaign, which featured a handsome character similar to
James Bond or Don Draper who told young adults how to drink. Public
health experts criticized the campaign for glamorizing alcohol as
sophisticated and stylish and for being unclear about “how much is
too much.”
To gauge how the public perceives and understands such messages, the
research team surveyed 180 people at malls in Melbourne and
Newcastle and showed them six taglines: “Drink smart,” “Know when to
say when,” “You won’t miss a moment if you DrinkWise,” “Drinking: Do
it properly,” “Kids absorb your drinking,” and “Kids and alcohol
don’t mix.” The researchers asked each participant what the
statements conveyed and what particular words like “properly” and
“kids” meant to them.
People gave a variety of responses with a wide range of meanings,
most often associating the taglines with moderation, knowing limits
and avoiding drunkenness. “How to drink properly,” however, confused
24 percent of participants who thought it meant “looking cool when
you drink.” Another 21 percent thought it meant “drinking the right
kind of alcohol,” and 8 percent thought it meant to drink more
rather than less.
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“What surprised us is that people mostly understood the messages -
such as knowing your limit - but the message is subjective,” Jones
said. “Once you’ve had a few drinks, you’re not the best judge.”
In addition, the taglines targeting parents about “kids” were vague
regarding age. The legal drinking age in Australia is 18, yet only
half of those surveyed thought the messages included 16- and
17-year-olds. More than 80 percent said it included 13- to
15-year-olds, and 75 percent said it included 7- to 12-year-olds.
The research team also surveyed 480 adults online after showing them
four video ads with results that were similar to the first
experiment. Most people interpreted the messages to be about
moderation and knowing limits, other than the “How to drink
properly” ad, which again was perceived by some as being about
sophistication and drinking more rather than less. Participants also
said that ad was least likely to change their drinking behavior.
“The key thing that stuck out was just how confused people are about
what’s appropriate and proper,” said Peter Miller of Deakin
University in Geelong, Australia, who wasn’t involved in the study.
Future research should investigate which messages work and then
encourage the government to produce clear campaigns in addition to
the vague ones being produced by the alcohol industry, said Miller,
who studies alcohol messaging, policy and violence.
“People have to be critical about sources of information and where
messages are coming from,” he told Reuters Health in a phone
interview. “When we see the industry say, ‘drink properly,’ they’re
still saying ‘drink.’”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2fTq8yF PLoS ONE, online September 21, 2017.
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