Improving Knowledge that Alcohol Can Cause Cancer is Associated with Consumer Support for Alcohol Policies: Findings from a Real-World Alcohol Labelling Study.

Ashini Weerasinghe,Thomas K Greenfield,Tim Stockwell,Erin Hobin,Nour Schoueri-Mychasiw,Jonathan Mcgavock,Kate Vallance,David Hammond,Catherine Paradis

doi:10.3390/ijerph17020398

Abstract

Knowledge that alcohol can cause cancer is low in Canada. Alcohol labels are one strategy for communicating alcohol-related harms, including cancer. Extending existing research observing an association between knowledge of the alcohol–cancer link and support for alcohol policies, this study examined whether increases in individual-level knowledge that alcohol is a carcinogen following an alcohol labelling intervention are associated with support for alcohol polices. Cancer warning labels were applied to alcohol containers at the intervention site, and the comparison site did not apply cancer labels. Pre-post surveys were conducted among liquor store patrons at both sites before and two-and six-months after the intervention was stopped due to alcohol industry interference. Limiting the data to participants that completed surveys both before and two-months after the cancer label stopped, logistic regression was used to examine the association between increases in knowledge and support for policies. Support for pricing and availability policies was low overall; however, increases in individual-level knowledge of the alcohol-cancer link was associated with higher levels of support for pricing policies, specifically, setting a minimum unit price per standard drink of alcohol (OR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.11–3.12). Improving knowledge that alcohol can cause cancer using labels may increase support for alcohol policies. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/16320

Highlights

Alcohol consumption is a leading risk factor for burden of disease, contributing to an estimated 3 million deaths (5% of all deaths) and 133 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) (5% of all DALYs) globally in 2016 [1]
Europe and Australia an association between awareness of alcohol and Australia observing an association betweenobserving awareness of alcohol as a carcinogen and support for as a carcinogen and support for alcohol control policies [35,36,37,38], the main objective of this paper was alcohol control policies [35,36,37,38], the main objective of this paper was to examine whether increases to examine whether increases in individual-level knowledge of the link between alcohol and cancer in individual-level knowledge of the link between alcoholwith and cancersupport following an alcohol following an alcohol labelling intervention are associated stronger for alcohol policy labelling measures
60% of the sample in the current study reported an annual income of at least $60,000, and high income populations are less sensitive to price interventions compared to low income populations [25,69]. It is not clear why increased knowledge of the alcohol–cancer link did not have a stronger association with support for alcohol availability policies in this study, with the exception that the policy measures used in this study examined support for reduced trading hours and the government-owned off-site retail outlets in the two study sites already limit trading hours to six days per week, liquor stores are closed on Sundays

Summary

Introduction

Alcohol consumption is a leading risk factor for burden of disease, contributing to an estimated 3 million deaths (5% of all deaths) and 133 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) (5% of all DALYs) globally in 2016 [1]. Public Health 2020, 17, 398; doi:10.3390/ijerph17020398 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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