The Department of Health's Change4Life campaign has launched a second alcohol advert warning how drinking can ‘sneak up on you’, encouraging people to check their drinking online using the Change4Life Drinks Checker. The advert is a similar version of the 'Dont' let the drink sneak up on you' campaign launched last year. A supporting leaflet (pdf) is available to order.
As part of the campaign the Change4Life team asked 19 people to keep a detailed drinks diary for 2 weeks. Those that took part were drinking the equivalent of an extra large glass of wine each day, or 40% more than they thought. Although this level of underestimation may be supported by differences in reported consumption in national surveys versus recorded sales, the recent Health Survey for England 2011 showed significant but lower levels of under-reporting.
The Change4Life team also reported that after keeping a drinks diary for a week, the 19 participants were offered simple tips on cutting down and as a result they:
- cut their alcohol consumption by over a third
- saved around £33.35 a week – or over £1,730 a year
- consumed 1,658 fewer calories a week an average of 236 calories a day – around 10% of the average person’s daily intake and the equivalent to 125ml (a small wine glass) of cream per day
There is however limited evidence to support the effectivness of communications campaigns in changing individual drinking behaviours. However as the small Change4life sample involving individuals recording and measuring their drinking suggests, individual approaches such as 'Identification and Brief Advice' (IBA) have stronger evidence of research effectiveness. Nonetheless, no single approach to addressing the overall level of alcohol misuse is expected to work in isolation, so a cumulative impact of national policy and individual level interventions are advised by WHO for effective national strategy.
Last year the alcohol industry funded organisation Drinkaware launched 'My Drinkaware', which also offers online tools, an app and guidance to help people keep track of units and understand the risks. Another app, www.drinkcoach.org.uk, recently joined the market.
NHS Choices also offer comprehensive alcohol pages, including how to find local services. Drinkline can also be contacted 24 hours a day for advice and support on 0800 917 8282.
Individuals can also access online IBA tools such as www.dontbottleitup.org.uk and www.downyourdrink.org.uk/. Proffessionals can visit www.alcohollearningcentre.org.uk or www.alcoholiba.com for guidance and resources.
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