Abstract
BackgroundHigh levels of alcohol consumption and increases in heavy episodic drinking (binge drinking) are a growing public concern, due to their association with increased risk of personal and societal harm. Alcohol consumption has been shown to be sensitive to factors such as price and availability. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of glass shape on the rate of consumption of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.MethodsThis was an experimental design with beverage (lager, soft drink), glass (straight, curved) and quantity (6 fl oz, 12 fl oz) as between-subjects factors. Social male and female alcohol consumers (n = 159) attended two experimental sessions, and were randomised to drink either lager or a soft drink from either a curved or straight-sided glass, and complete a computerised task identifying perceived midpoint of the two glasses (order counterbalanced). Ethical approval was granted by the Faculty of Science Research Ethics Committee at the University of Bristol. The primary outcome measures were total drinking time of an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage, and perceptual judgement of the half-way point of a straight and curved glass.ResultsParticipants were 60% slower to consume an alcoholic beverage from a straight glass compared to a curved glass. This effect was only observed for a full glass and not a half-full glass, and was not observed for a non-alcoholic beverage. Participants also misjudged the half-way point of a curved glass to a greater degree than that of a straight glass, and there was a trend towards a positive association between the degree of error and total drinking time.ConclusionsGlass shape appears to influence the rate of drinking of alcoholic beverages. This may represent a modifiable target for public health interventions.
Highlights
Alcohol consumption is associated with increased mortality and morbidity, with approximately 4% of the global burden of disease attributable to alcohol use [1]
A series of 26262 ANOVAs with beverage, glass and quantity (6 fl oz, 12 fl oz) as betweensubjects factors indicated no significant differences between groups
A paired-sample t-test indicated a significant difference between the two glass conditions (t [159] = 30.89, p,0.001), indicating that the halfway-point was perceived to be below the true half-way point to a greater degree for the curved glass compared to the straight glass
Summary
Alcohol consumption is associated with increased mortality and morbidity, with approximately 4% of the global burden of disease attributable to alcohol use [1]. There has been particular concern regarding patterns of alcohol consumption in adolescents and young adults across several countries. Rates of heavy episodic drinking (binge drinking) have increased in this group in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, in particular in young women [2,3], with corresponding increases in the risk of personal and societal harm. Estimates of drinking behaviour that are based on standard units of alcohol may underestimate levels of consumption. There is a need to better understand the factors influencing alcohol consumption and binge drinking, in order to inform policy and enable the design of public health interventions. High levels of alcohol consumption and increases in heavy episodic drinking (binge drinking) are a growing public concern, due to their association with increased risk of personal and societal harm. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of glass shape on the rate of consumption of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
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