Awareness of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer
Professor Penny Buykx - Awareness of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer
In 2018 Associate Professor Penny Buykx published an article with journal BMC Public Health titled 'Awareness of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer is associated with public support for alcohol policies'. The article summarises a study she led which investigated the relationship between awareness of the alcohol-cancer link and support for a range of alcohol policies in an English sample and policy context.
Associate Professor Buykx had completed a similar study with the Cancer Council of NSW and upon moving to the United Kingdom in 2014 was invited by Cancer Research UK to repeat the work in the United Kingdom.
“Globally, alcohol is causally related to 2.5 million deaths per year and 12.5% of these are due to cancer. There is strong evidence that alcohol use increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, stomach, bowel, liver and breast. Previous research has indicated that public awareness of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer is low and this may contribute to a lack of public support for alcohol policies,” Associate Professor Buykx said.
Associate Professor Buykx’s UK study asked 2100 survey participants about their drinking habits and what health conditions they thought alcohol was related to.
“Only 1 in 8 people spontaneously mentioned cancer as a potential health risk,” Associate Professor Buykx noted. “Even when cancer was presented in a list of health conditions caused by alcohol, under half the population recognised that cancer is a potential risk of alcohol consumption.”
This study also investigated what people think of government alcohol policies such as those that control the regulation of licensed venues, what times venues are open, where alcohol can be advertised and input into what level of alcohol treatment is available.
“We know from research evidence that effective policy in terms of reducing alcohol related harm and consumption include policies that restrict the availability of alcohol and those which effect the price of alcohol. These also tend to be the least popular but most effective policies.”
The survey asked people which policies they supported with the majority showing support for information campaigns and policies rather than changing the price and availability of alcohol.
“We already know that people are more in favour of policies that they think affect others more than themselves; for example, the restriction of access to venues for young people. We also know that in general women tend to be more open to alcohol policy than men and people who drink more are less likely to support policies that restrict alcohol,” Associate Professor Buykx observed.
“In our study, we also found that those who were aware of the alcohol-cancer link unprompted were more likely to support alcohol policies around price and availability, marketing and information, harm reduction and drink driving,” she said.
The study’s conclusion was that support for alcohol policies is greater among individuals who are aware of the link between alcohol and cancer. At the same time, a large proportion of people are unaware of the alcohol-cancer link and so increasing awareness may be an effective approach to increasing support for alcohol policies.
The results from this study have informed public health advocacy in the United Kingdom and the study was quoted in report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
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