Oral Presentation ANZOS-Breakthrough Discoveries Joint Annual Scientific Meeting 2018

“It would definitely make you think twice, even after you’ve finished the drink, it’s in your car, like the empty bottle, you’d look at it”: Young adults’ reactions to warning labels on the bottles of sugary drinks. (#24)

Caroline Miller 1 , Melanie Wakefield 2 , Joanne Dono 1 , Kerry Ettridge 1 , John Coveney 3 , Simone Pettigrew 4 , Sarah Durkin 2 , Gary Wittert 5 , Jane Martin 6 , David Roder 7
  1. Population Health Research Group, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Adelaide, SA, Australia
  2. Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  3. Flinders University , Adelaide, SA, Australia
  4. School of Psychology, Curtin University , Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  5. University of Adelaide , Adelaide, SA, Australia
  6. Obesity Policy Coalition, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  7. Centre for Population Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia

Introduction: On-bottle warning labels are a viable policy option, as part of wider efforts to reduce sugary drink consumption in Australia and around the world. There is very little research into which messages will be most effective among regular consumers. The aim of this study was to explore young adults’ reactions to four types of warning messages: health effects, nutritional information, exercise equivalents, and pictograms.

Method: 16 focus groups with young adults (aged 18-24 years; n=104) were conducted across four Australian locations (Adelaide, Sydney, Perth and Ballarat). Groups were segmented by sex and socio-economic status. Mock warning labels were presented to each group for discussion. Results were thematically analysed.

Results: Participants were confused about the sugar content of drinks. Many did not know how to interpret nutritional and exercise information, or how to contextualise and apply it to their own circumstances. Also, while aware of potential health risks, many participants perceived them as not personally relevant. On-bottle warning labels were found to help young adult consumers to ‘stop and think’ about their own consumption. The results indicated that clear, factual, and non-ambiguous information was more persuasive. Sugar content pictogram labels were most persuasive.

Conclusion: On-bottle warning labels are a useful tool to help remind young adults of the potential consequences of over-consumption of sugary drinks. However, the content and execution of the label is important to delivering messages that are perceived as relevant, believable and to make them ‘stop and think’ about their own consumption.