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SciPoll 724: Alcohol and cancer - are warnings helpful?
Do you believe that Surgeon General warnings are effective in modifying people's’ behaviors to improve public health?
Results
(108 Answers)
Answer Explanations
- Somewhatuser-763749Warnings alone might not be enough to significantly change behavior but can act as a critical first step in broader public health strategies.
- Somewhatuser-84005Surgeon General warnings can help people understand the health risks and make changes in their behaviors. However, it is somewhat difficult. As there are many factors that will affect this aims as media, design, prominence of display, and the cultural relevance that determine their effectiveness. The clearer the messages of warnings in social media, and when repeated with health promotion campaigns and supportive policies, the greater likelihood they have for changing behaviors in the long run.
- Somewhatuser-188079It depends how woven into the fabric of life the habit is.
- Somewhatuser-829593For those who are truly unaware of the risk, it’s and good reminder and may help to spread awareness. Others just will continue to not care
- Somewhatuser-433580Another attempt to bring behavioural change
- Somewhatuser-753537I think somewhat, especially as it now coincides with a more general societal shift to drinking less alcohol/less normalization of alcohol.
- Yesuser-553940Since messages and warning coming from higher offices people will consider it seriously
- Somewhatuser-629527Surgeon General warnings can be effective, but their impact varies depending on several factors. For some people, these warnings serve as a wake-up call and can motivate them to make healthier choices, like reducing alcohol consumption or quitting smoking. However, the effectiveness often depends on the individual's awareness of the risks, their personal attitudes toward health, and whether they already have a habit or belief that conflicts with the warning.
- Yesuser-200555Once clarifying the carcinogenic risk of alcohol by showing simulation cases. I think the consumption behavior of alcohol addiction will change
- Somewhatuser-1163It depends upon the fact if people are prone to listen to. The most fragile population groups, with low schooling and wages, are often unaware of such warnings.
- Somewhatuser-161126I think the fear of getting cancer may deter some people from drinking alcohol or moderate their consumption of alcohol once they have been informed of this risk, particularly if they have had been diagnosed with cancer before or if they have had a family member diagnosed with cancer. Education is effective on some people.
- Nouser-770802see answer 2
- Somewhatuser-800651While Surgeon General warnings can raise awareness and influence some individuals, their effectiveness often depends on accompanying educational campaigns, clear messaging, and cultural acceptance.
- Nouser-979199I think a consistent effort is required to get the message through to people, it may take a generation.
- Somewhatuser-981678Tobacco and Cigarette packs carry similar warning, but it has shown very limited impact.
- Somewhatuser-102119There is a need to act directly at individual level, but also in groups. The implementation of educational programs in schools, for example, are mandatory to curb the current burden in chronic diseases
- Nouser-730223Most people remain blissfully unaware. For example, have the warnings stopped smoking or vaping?
- Somewhatuser-565949Alcohol consumption should be monitored during the upcoming months and years, to better understand the impact of this measure.
- Somewhatuser-226984Recently, there is a movement among senior and also younger people to stop alcohol consumption. It is unclear to me, whether this affect the consumption of other drugs.
- Somewhatuser-372463It requires a more incisive intervention. Social resistance Is High. For years alcool producers have been promoting alcool on mass media, without an incisive intervention (as It happened for smoking in 80s) all intervention would be ineffective
- Nouser-156295There is already a health warning on alcoholic beverages, adding another will be of little benefit. Other messaging programs like advertising may help but the risk of cancer is of course dependant on the frequency and amounts consumed and therefore the greatest risks are for those consume regularly and the other health risks associated with alcohol consumption become even more problematic. Under these circumstance the cancer risk is but one of many. If there is a need to put another health warning on alcoholic beverages a general advisory that covers all of the known risks makes much more sense
- Somewhatuser-980513This information has to be increasingly abundant and clear.
- Somewhatuser-138399Individual response can significantly vary.
- Yesuser-208334It takes time, but the Surgeon General's opinions do affect public health.
- Somewhatuser-499948Must battle lots of mis-information.
- Yesuser-794571They are effective
- Somewhatuser-911298I feel these reports tend to overexaggerate the risk to the average drinker. Do I think alcohol and cancer are linked with high consumption rates then yes.
- Somewhatuser-120105Only in the short term, warning are like New Year's resolutions they generally last about two weeks.
- Somewhatuser-110809Some people know, some don't want to know
- Somewhatuser-562199It's a start and it costs very little.
- Nouser-711957The dissemination of this kind information to the general public is low.
- Somewhatuser-904621Probably in particular situations eg pregnancy
- Yesuser-673903It helped a great deal with smoking even though it took a long time to get through.
- Nouser-526097To alter health related behaviour in a meaningful way, the evidence shows (as far as I am aware) that negative reinforcement can have some effect, but positive reinforcement which is not just goal orientated (e.g. drink less beer) but values based (e.g. drink less beer so I can be a more attentive father) is your best bet. Warning labels don't do this - they just convey a risk to personal health. It's very easy to discount this sort of threat.
- Nouser-388976I think people distrust experts