| Title |
Awareness of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer is associated with public support for alcohol policies
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
BMC Public Health, June 2018
|
| DOI | 10.1186/s12889-018-5581-8 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Sarah Bates, John Holmes, Lucy Gavens, Elena Gomes de Matos, Jessica Li, Bernadette Ward, Lucie Hooper, Simon Dixon, Penny Buykx |
| Abstract |
Globally, alcohol is causally related to 2.5 million deaths per year and 12.5% of these are due to cancer. 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. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between awareness of the alcohol-cancer link and support for a range of alcohol policies in an English sample and policy context. A cross-sectional survey of 2100 adult residents in England was conducted in which respondents answered questions regarding awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer and support for 21 policy proposals. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce the 21 policy proposals down to a set of underlying factors. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to estimate the relationship between awareness of the alcohol-cancer link and each of these policy factors. Thirteen per cent of the sample were aware of the alcohol-cancer link unprompted, a further 34% were aware when prompted and 53% were not aware of the link. PCA reduced the policy items to four policy factors, which were named price and availability, marketing and information, harm reduction and drink driving. Awareness of the alcohol-cancer link unprompted was associated with increased support for each of four underlying policy factors: price and availability (Beta: 0.06, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.10), marketing and information (Beta: 0.05, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.09), harm reduction (Beta: 0.09, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.14), and drink driving (Beta: 0.16, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.20). 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. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 87 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 27 | 31% |
| Spain | 7 | 8% |
| United States | 6 | 7% |
| Uganda | 3 | 3% |
| Finland | 2 | 2% |
| Australia | 2 | 2% |
| Germany | 1 | 1% |
| Ireland | 1 | 1% |
| Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | 1 | 1% |
| Other | 7 | 8% |
| Unknown | 30 | 34% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 68 | 78% |
| Scientists | 11 | 13% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 7 | 8% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 1% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 83 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 83 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher | 13 | 16% |
| Student > Bachelor | 9 | 11% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 8 | 10% |
| Other | 4 | 5% |
| Student > Master | 4 | 5% |
| Other | 8 | 10% |
| Unknown | 37 | 45% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 9 | 11% |
| Social Sciences | 7 | 8% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 5 | 6% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 5 | 6% |
| Psychology | 4 | 5% |
| Other | 9 | 11% |
| Unknown | 44 | 53% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 62. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 18 December 2023.
All research outputs
#696,207
of 25,593,129 outputs
Outputs from BMC Public Health
#703
of 17,714 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#15,192
of 343,345 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Public Health
#21
of 326 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,593,129 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 97th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 17,714 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 14.5. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 96% of its peers.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 326 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 93% of its contemporaries.