Editor—Eleven years after publication of guidelines on sensible drinking,1 the social repercussions from the abuse of alcohol remain worrying in the UK. Unit labelling of alcohol drink containers was introduced in 1998 on a voluntary basis. In 2004 the government encouraged manufacturers to add messages on sensible drinking.2
We investigated two interrelated aspects of public health education—recall of sensible drinking messages and awareness of drink labelling—among Scottish supermarket shoppers. The supermarket visited has pre-empted UK drink labelling innovations—since 2003 wine sourced from its own supplier has displayed a comprehensive label showing the percentage of alcohol, the units of alcohol in the particular bottle, and daily guidelines of sensible drinking for both sexes.
Shoppers at three city supermarkets were approached on three consecutive weekdays (July 2005). Of 263 drinkers surveyed, 174 (66%) were women and 248 (94%) purchased alcoholic drinks from supermarkets.
Definition of a UK unit of alcohol was good; only 24 women (14%) and 14 men (16%) could not respond. However, accurate knowledge of UK daily guidelines was poor (table). Many respondents simply divided the older, weekly guidelines by seven.3 Around a third failed to answer.
Table 1.
Summary of questionnaire responses
| Response | No (%) of respondents |
|---|---|
| All participants (n=263): | |
| Recall of daily sensible drinking guidelines for women (2-3 units) | 21 (8) |
| Recall of daily guidelines for men (3-4 units) | 12 (5) |
| Women (n=174): | |
| Use of unit system to monitor personal drinking | 49 (25) |
| Men (n=89): | |
| Use of unit system to monitor personal drinking | 17 (19) |
| Respondents “ever drinking wine” (n=225): | |
| Awareness of enhanced wine label | 97 (43) |
Few participants used the alcohol unit system to monitor their consumption (table). Some linked use to judging fitness to drive. Of 121 participants (46%) who preferred wine, 27 (22%) offered no estimate of the unit content of an average bottle of wine (75 cl; around 9 units) and 43 (36%) suggested 7 or fewer units.
Under half of those “ever drinking wine” were aware of the enhanced wine label (table). Only 19 (20%) of those claimed that it influenced their buying. Awareness was roughly equal between the sexes. Price offers influenced buying more than label information. Altogether 195 participants (75%) favoured drink labelling.
This pilot study highlights considerable confusion about sensible drinking messages in the UK. Few respondents used the unit system to monitor their drinking. Their preference for the superseded weekly guidelines,3 questions whether the aim of the 1995 revision, “to help people avoid drunkenness,”1 has been tested adequately.
Respondents' enthusiasm for labelling is countered by other countries finding no correspondence between labelling and positive behavioural change.4,5 However, should the substance of a message be reviewed before the means by which it is disseminated? Current alcohol education initiatives in the UK may fail adults wishing to drink sensibly.
Health promotion literature and funds to support data entry provided by Drinkaware-.co.uk are gratefully acknowledged, as is the help of ScotMid Co-op staff. Neither organisation influenced study design nor report.
Competing interests: None declared.
References
- 1.Department of Health. Sensible drinking: the report of an inter-departmental working group. London: DoH, 1995.
- 2.Cabinet Office. Alcohol harm and reduction strategy for England. London: Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, 2004.
- 3.Department of Health. The health of the nation: a strategy for health in England. London: HMSO, 1992.
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