Using a mass media campaign to raise women's awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer: Cross-sectional pre-intervention and post-intervention evaluation surveys
dc.contributor.author | Dixon, H. | |
dc.contributor.author | Pratt, Steve | |
dc.contributor.author | Scully, M. | |
dc.contributor.author | Miller, J. | |
dc.contributor.author | Patterson, C. | |
dc.contributor.author | Hood, R. | |
dc.contributor.author | Slevin, Terry | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2017-01-30T10:51:46Z | |
dc.date.available | 2017-01-30T10:51:46Z | |
dc.date.created | 2015-10-29T04:09:41Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2015 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Dixon, H. and Pratt, S. and Scully, M. and Miller, J. and Patterson, C. and Hood, R. and Slevin, T. 2015. Using a mass media campaign to raise women's awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer: Cross-sectional pre-intervention and post-intervention evaluation surveys. BMJ Open. 5 (3): e006511. | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/6250 | |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006511 | |
dc.description.abstract |
Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of a population-based, statewide public health intervention designed to improve women's awareness and knowledge of the link between alcohol and cancer. Design: Cross-sectional tracking surveys conducted pre-intervention and post-intervention (waves I and III of campaign). Setting: Western Australia. Participants: Cross-sectional samples of Western Australian women aged 25–54 years before the campaign (n=136) and immediately after wave I (n=206) and wave III (n=155) of the campaign. Intervention: The ‘Alcohol and Cancer’ mass media campaign ran from May 2010 to May 2011 and consisted of three waves of paid television advertising with supporting print advertisements. Main outcome measures: Campaign awareness; knowledge of drinking guidelines and the link between alcohol and cancer; intentions towards drinking. Results: Prompted recognition of the campaign increased from 67% following wave I to 81% following wave III (adjusted OR (adj OR)=2.31, 95% CI 1.33 to 4.00, p=0.003). Improvements in women's knowledge that drinking alcohol on a regular basis increases cancer risk were found following wave I (adj OR=2.60, 95% CI 1.57 to 4.30, p<0.001) and wave III (adj OR=4.88, 95% CI 2.55 to 9.36, p<0.001) compared with baseline. Knowledge of the recommended number of standard drinks for low risk in the long term increased between baseline and wave I (adj OR=1.68, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.76, p=0.041), but not baseline and wave III (adj OR=1.42, 95% CI 0.84 to 2.39, p=0.191). Among women who drink alcohol, the proportion expressing intentions to reduce alcohol consumption increased significantly between baseline and wave III (adj OR=2.38, 95% CI 1.11 to 5.12, p=0.026). However, no significant reductions in recent drinking behaviour were found following the campaign.Conclusions: Results indicate a population-based mass media campaign can reach the target audience and raise awareness of links between alcohol and cancer, and knowledge of drinking guidelines. However, a single campaign may be insufficient to measurably curb drinking behaviour in a culture where pro-alcohol social norms and product marketing are pervasive. | |
dc.publisher | BMJ Publishing Group | |
dc.title | Using a mass media campaign to raise women's awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer: Cross-sectional pre-intervention and post-intervention evaluation surveys | |
dc.type | Journal Article | |
dcterms.source.volume | 5 | |
dcterms.source.number | 3 | |
dcterms.source.title | BMJ Open | |
curtin.note |
This open access article is distributed under the Creative Commons license | |
curtin.note |
This article was published in BMJ Open following peer review and can also be viewed on the journal’s website at | |
curtin.department | School of Psychology and Speech Pathology | |
curtin.accessStatus | Open access |