Australian drinkers’ perceptions of alcohol-related risk by consumption status
Background: This study investigated Australian drinkers’ alcohol-related beliefs according to their alcohol risk status. The primary aims were to assess drinkers’ awareness of the association between alcohol consumption and a range of health consequences and their understanding of the degree of risk...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Informa Healthcare
2016
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/40104 |
| _version_ | 1848755775551307776 |
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| author | Pettigrew, Simone Jongenelis, Michelle Pratt, I. Liang, Wenbin Slevin, Terry Chikritzhs, Tanya Glance, D. |
| author_facet | Pettigrew, Simone Jongenelis, Michelle Pratt, I. Liang, Wenbin Slevin, Terry Chikritzhs, Tanya Glance, D. |
| author_sort | Pettigrew, Simone |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Background: This study investigated Australian drinkers’ alcohol-related beliefs according to their alcohol risk status. The primary aims were to assess drinkers’ awareness of the association between alcohol consumption and a range of health consequences and their understanding of the degree of risk represented by their own alcohol consumption. Method: An online survey was administered to 2168 drinkers who consume alcohol at least twice per month. Respondents reported their alcohol intake levels and their beliefs relating to the relationship between alcohol and shorter-term (proximal) risks (e.g., drink-driving) and longer-term (distal) risks (e.g., stroke and cancer). Results: Just over half (52%) of those drinking at high or very high risk levels did not perceive their drinking to be harmful. A large majority (85%) of the sample was aware of various short-term risks of excessive alcohol consumption, but only half appeared aware of the association between alcohol consumption and more distal health conditions. Conclusions: The relatively low levels of awareness of the alcohol–disease link and the weak relationship between perceived risk and alcohol consumption levels suggest that attempts to reduce current high levels of alcohol-related harm could include public education campaigns designed to (i) improve drinkers’ understanding of the prevalence of alcohol-related harms upon which current alcohol guidelines are based, (ii) prompt drinkers to review their intake levels in the light of the guidelines to assess their potential risk of harm, and (iii) make alcohol-related risks more salient to every-day consumption decisions. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:01:40Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-40104 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:01:40Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Informa Healthcare |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-401042017-09-13T15:12:27Z Australian drinkers’ perceptions of alcohol-related risk by consumption status Pettigrew, Simone Jongenelis, Michelle Pratt, I. Liang, Wenbin Slevin, Terry Chikritzhs, Tanya Glance, D. Background: This study investigated Australian drinkers’ alcohol-related beliefs according to their alcohol risk status. The primary aims were to assess drinkers’ awareness of the association between alcohol consumption and a range of health consequences and their understanding of the degree of risk represented by their own alcohol consumption. Method: An online survey was administered to 2168 drinkers who consume alcohol at least twice per month. Respondents reported their alcohol intake levels and their beliefs relating to the relationship between alcohol and shorter-term (proximal) risks (e.g., drink-driving) and longer-term (distal) risks (e.g., stroke and cancer). Results: Just over half (52%) of those drinking at high or very high risk levels did not perceive their drinking to be harmful. A large majority (85%) of the sample was aware of various short-term risks of excessive alcohol consumption, but only half appeared aware of the association between alcohol consumption and more distal health conditions. Conclusions: The relatively low levels of awareness of the alcohol–disease link and the weak relationship between perceived risk and alcohol consumption levels suggest that attempts to reduce current high levels of alcohol-related harm could include public education campaigns designed to (i) improve drinkers’ understanding of the prevalence of alcohol-related harms upon which current alcohol guidelines are based, (ii) prompt drinkers to review their intake levels in the light of the guidelines to assess their potential risk of harm, and (iii) make alcohol-related risks more salient to every-day consumption decisions. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/40104 10.1080/16066359.2016.1175557 Informa Healthcare restricted |
| spellingShingle | Pettigrew, Simone Jongenelis, Michelle Pratt, I. Liang, Wenbin Slevin, Terry Chikritzhs, Tanya Glance, D. Australian drinkers’ perceptions of alcohol-related risk by consumption status |
| title | Australian drinkers’ perceptions of alcohol-related risk by consumption status |
| title_full | Australian drinkers’ perceptions of alcohol-related risk by consumption status |
| title_fullStr | Australian drinkers’ perceptions of alcohol-related risk by consumption status |
| title_full_unstemmed | Australian drinkers’ perceptions of alcohol-related risk by consumption status |
| title_short | Australian drinkers’ perceptions of alcohol-related risk by consumption status |
| title_sort | australian drinkers’ perceptions of alcohol-related risk by consumption status |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/40104 |