Impact of alcohol promoting and alcohol warning advertisements on alcohol consumption in heavy drinking young adults: a laboratory-based experiment
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN11570646 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN11570646 |
| Protocol serial number | N/A |
| Sponsor | University of Cambridge (UK) |
| Funders | National Institute for Health Research - School for Public Health Research (UK), UK Department of Health Policy Research Program (UK) |
- Submission date
- 06/10/2015
- Registration date
- 12/10/2015
- Last edited
- 17/01/2017
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Restricting or banning alcohol advertising may be a cost-effective way to reduce excessive drinking, but there is a lack of evidence to support this. Studies have indicated that exposure to alcohol advertising may increase alcohol consumption by small amounts, but previous research has focused mainly on moderate drinkers. There is some evidence suggesting that heavy drinkers may be particularly susceptible to the influence of alcohol advertising. As yet there has not been an adequately sized study to test the effect of viewing alcohol advertising on alcohol consumption among heavy drinkers specifically. Producing advertising that warns about the negative consequences of alcohol use is an additional strategy to reduce harmful alcohol consumption. There is limited evidence regarding whether viewing alcohol warning advertising is effective in reducing alcohol consumption, and there is some indication that heavy drinkers may actually be more likely to consume alcohol after viewing alcohol warnings. The main aim of this study is to estimate the immediate impact of viewing alcohol promoting and alcohol warning advertisements on alcohol consumption in young adult heavy drinkers. A secondary aim is to identify the psychological processes that might explain any observed effects.
Who can participate?
Young adults aged 18-25 who are heavy drinkers (i.e., score above a cut-off on a measure of typical alcohol consumption).
What does the study involve?
Participants attend a one-hour session in which they are randomly assigned to view either alcohol promoting adverts, alcohol warning adverts, or non-alcohol adverts, before being given the opportunity to consume alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in a taste test.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
There are no specific benefits to taking part, other than having the opportunity to contribute to research, and the financial reimbursement for taking part (£35). There are no foreseeable risks of taking part in this study. We have attempted to minimise any discomfort, although participants may find some of the tasks a little uninteresting and some of the questions quite personal in nature.
Where is the study run from?
London South Bank University (UK)
When is study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
March 2014 to January 2016
Who is funding the study?
National Institute for Health Research School for Public Health Research and the Department of Health Policy Research Unit (UK)
Who is the main contact?
1. Prof Theresa Marteau (tm388@medschl.cam.ac.uk)
2. Dr Kaidy Stautz (ks704@medschl.cam.ac.uk)
Contact information
Scientific
Behaviour and Health Research Unit
Institute of Public Health
University of Cambridge
Cambridge
CB2 0SR
United Kingdom
Public
Behaviour and Health Research Unit
Institute of Public Health
University of Cambridge
Cambridge
CB2 0SR
United Kingdom
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Between-participants experimental design |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Impact of alcohol promoting and alcohol warning advertisements on alcohol consumption in heavy drinking young adults: a laboratory-based experiment |
| Study objectives | H1. Viewing alcohol promoting advertisements increases alcohol consumption in heavy drinkers. H2. Viewing alcohol warning advertisements increases alcohol consumption in heavy drinkers. H3. Stronger positive affective responses to advertisements partially mediate the effects hypothesised in H1 and H2. H4. Stronger implicit alcohol approach motivation and attentional bias towards alcohol partially mediate the effects hypothesised in H1 and H2. H5. Higher levels of exposure to alcohol-related advertising will result in greater alcohol consumption. |
| Ethics approval(s) | 1. University of Cambridge Psychology Research Ethics Committee, 19/05/2015, ref: Pre.2015.032 2. London South Bank University Research Ethics Committee, 18/06/2015, ref: UREC 1534 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Alcohol consumption |
| Intervention | Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions: 1. Exposure to alcohol promoting advertisements 2. Exposure to alcohol warning advertisements 3. Exposure to non-alcohol advertisements (control condition) |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
Alcohol consumption, calculated by measuring the volume (ml) of alcoholic and placebo alcoholic beverages remaining after completion of a taste test, and calculating amount consumed as a percentage of amount available. The taste test will be completed following exposure to advertisements. |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
1. Affective responses to advertisements will be assessed by subjective reports of pleasure (negative to positive) and arousal (relaxed to alert) whilst viewing advertisements |
| Completion date | 29/01/2016 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Upper age limit | 25 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 204 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Current heavy alcohol user, defined as scoring 5 or above on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)-C 2. Aged 18-25 |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Currently pregnant 2. Currently taking any medication, including antibiotics 3. Detectable levels of alcohol in breath on the test day (assessed by breathalyser) |
| Date of first enrolment | 14/07/2015 |
| Date of final enrolment | 29/01/2016 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- England
Study participating centre
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not provided at time of registration |
| IPD sharing plan |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 01/02/2017 | Yes | No | |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
17/01/2017: Publication reference added.
