Factors Associated with Adolescents' Support for Product Information and Health Messaging on Alcohol Packaging: A Cross-Sectional Study in the United Kingdom

TY - JOUR

T1 - Factors Associated with Adolescents' Support for Product Information and Health Messaging on Alcohol Packaging

T2 - A Cross-Sectional Study in the United Kingdom

AU - Peddireddy, Snigdha

AU - Boniface, Sadie

AU - Critchlow, Nathan

AU - Newberry Le Vay, Jessica

AU - Severi, Katherine

AU - Vohra, Jyotsna

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s).

PY - 2022/5/10

Y1 - 2022/5/10

N2 - AIMS: Adolescents in the UK are among the heaviest drinkers in Europe. The World Health Organization recommends alcohol product labelling to inform consumers about product information and health risks associated with alcohol use. This study investigates support for product information and health messaging on alcohol packaging among UK adolescents. METHODS: The 2019 UK Youth Alcohol Policy Survey was an online cross-sectional survey among 3388 adolescents aged 11-19. Participants indicated their support for seven forms of messaging on packaging (e.g. number of alcohol units, links to health conditions). Logistic regression models investigated associations between support for each of the seven forms and alcohol use, perceived risks of alcohol use, and previous exposure to messaging. RESULTS: Between 60 and 79% of adolescents were supportive of different aspects of product labelling. Compared to lower-risk drinkers, higher-risk drinkers (AUDIT-C 5+) had higher odds of supporting including the number of alcohol units (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.31-2.54), calories (OR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.04-1.68), and strength of the product (OR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.19-2.52) but lower odds of supporting including information on alcohol-related health conditions (OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.53-0.87). Adolescents who perceived risks of alcohol use more strongly were more likely to support all forms of product information and messaging. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of adolescents supported improved alcohol labelling. Higher-risk drinkers were supportive of improved product information but less supportive of health-related messaging. Adolescents who believe alcohol carries health risks were more likely to support messaging.

AB - AIMS: Adolescents in the UK are among the heaviest drinkers in Europe. The World Health Organization recommends alcohol product labelling to inform consumers about product information and health risks associated with alcohol use. This study investigates support for product information and health messaging on alcohol packaging among UK adolescents. METHODS: The 2019 UK Youth Alcohol Policy Survey was an online cross-sectional survey among 3388 adolescents aged 11-19. Participants indicated their support for seven forms of messaging on packaging (e.g. number of alcohol units, links to health conditions). Logistic regression models investigated associations between support for each of the seven forms and alcohol use, perceived risks of alcohol use, and previous exposure to messaging. RESULTS: Between 60 and 79% of adolescents were supportive of different aspects of product labelling. Compared to lower-risk drinkers, higher-risk drinkers (AUDIT-C 5+) had higher odds of supporting including the number of alcohol units (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.31-2.54), calories (OR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.04-1.68), and strength of the product (OR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.19-2.52) but lower odds of supporting including information on alcohol-related health conditions (OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.53-0.87). Adolescents who perceived risks of alcohol use more strongly were more likely to support all forms of product information and messaging. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of adolescents supported improved alcohol labelling. Higher-risk drinkers were supportive of improved product information but less supportive of health-related messaging. Adolescents who believe alcohol carries health risks were more likely to support messaging.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85127572412&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1093/alcalc/agab080

DO - 10.1093/alcalc/agab080

M3 - Article

C2 - 34875686

AN - SCOPUS:85127572412

SN - 0735-0414

VL - 57

SP - 364

EP - 371

JO - Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire)

JF - Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire)

IS - 3

ER -