Warning labels on alcohol containers as a source of information on alcohol consumption in pregnancy among New Zealand women

• Published in: The International journal of drug policy 2010-07, Vol.21 (4), p.302-305
• Main Authors: Parackal, Sherly M, Parackal, Mathew K, Harraway, John A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Advertising as Topic; Age; Alcohol; Alcohol consumption; Alcohol Drinking - metabolism; Alcohol Drinking - prevention & control; Alcohol use; Alcoholic beverages; Consumption; Containers; Descriptive labeling; Drinking behavior; Ethnicity; Female; Government policy; Health Behavior; Health Promotion; Health surveys; Humans; Internal Medicine; Interviews as Topic; Labels; Maoris; Medical Education; New Zealand; New Zealand - epidemiology; Policy; Pregnancy; Prevention; Public health; Questionnaires; Reproductive Behavior; Reproductive health; Risk Assessment; Surveys and Questionnaires; Warning label; Warnings; Women; Women of childbearing age; Women's Health
• ISSN: 0955-3959; 1873-4758
• DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2009.10.006

Abstract Background The addition of a warning label on alcohol containers is a policy measure yet to be adopted in New Zealand. The current study aims to report the rating of a national sample of 16–40-year-old non-pregnant New Zealand women on a warning label on alcohol containers as a source of information on risks associated with alcohol consumption in pregnancy. Methods A nationwide, cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2005 on a random sample of 1129 non-pregnant women aged 16–40 years. Data were collected via an interviewer-administered questionnaire using a Web-assisted telephone interviewing system. Results Overall, the survey achieved a response rate of 65%. Just over half of the women surveyed (53%; 95% CI 50.2–56.0) gave a high rating for a warning label as a source of information on alcohol consumption in pregnancy. Women below 30 years of age and who were of non-European ethnicity were more likely to give a high rating compared with older women and European women, respectively ( p < 0.05). Conclusions Introduction of a warning label on alcohol containers in New Zealand may be effective in increasing awareness of the risks associated with alcohol consumption in pregnancy among at-risk drinkers, namely, younger women and New Zealand women of Maori and Pacific ethnicities. However, to accentuate behavioural change, other prevention approaches within a health promotion framework may be needed to complement this approach.