Abstract
BackgroundWine consumption has a particular place in the culture of many European countries, and beliefs that wine offers health benefits are widespread. High consumption of wine and other alcoholic beverages among many Europeans correlates with alcohol-related accidents and disease burdens. Health warning labels (HWLs) on alcohol containers have been increasingly recommended to deter consumers from drinking. However, findings on the impact of HWLs on consumers’ behavior have been mixed. Moreover, many European consumers have been found to reject the use of warning labels as a policy intervention, especially for wine, perhaps due to its cultural and economic importance.MethodsAn online study with a between-subjects design was conducted in Switzerland (N = 506) to assess whether HWLs can influence the perceived risk associated with drinking wine and vodka, a beverage insignificant to Swiss culture. Participants were presented an image of either a wine or vodka bottle with or without an HWL presenting a liver cancer warning statement. They were then asked to indicate their perceived risk of regularly consuming the depicted beverage. Acceptance and rejection of HWLs were also assessed.ResultsThe perceived risk of vodka consumption exceeded the corresponding risk for wine but was unaffected by an HWL. Perceived health benefits were the main, negative predictor of perceived consumption risk. Participants mainly rejected HWLs due to their perceived effectiveness, perceived positive health effects, social norms, and individualistic values.ConclusionsPerceived risk is an important determinant of drinking behavior, and our results suggest that HWLs may be unable to alter risk perceptions. Furthermore, a strong belief in the health benefits of alcohol consumption, particularly wine consumption, reduce risk perceptions and may be unaffected by HWLs.
Highlights
The production of alcoholic beverages is an important sector in many European economies, and wine, beer, and spirits are central to many European cultures
Staub and Siegrist BMC Public Health (2022) 22:157 minority of consumers are aware of the threat that regular or excessive alcohol consumption poses to their health, such as cancer risk, and they are unfamiliar with recommended drinking guidelines to reduce such risks [5,6,7]
In investigating Health warning labels (HWLs)’ influence on risk perceptions for wine and vodka, this study found that HWL did not significantly affect mean risk perceptions
Summary
The production of alcoholic beverages is an important sector in many European economies, and wine, beer, and spirits are central to many European cultures. Lachenmeier [10] suggested that the lack of knowledge about alcohol’s adverse effects has led to a high level of risk acceptance. They suggested that educating people about the risks of alcohol consumption can change drinking behavior. Health warning labels (HWLs) on alcohol containers have been increasingly recommended to deter consumers from drinking. Many European consumers have been found to reject the use of warning labels as a policy intervention, especially for wine, perhaps due to its cultural and economic importance
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