SynthesisBMC public health2017
What do we know about the effects of exposure to 'Low alcohol' and equivalent product labelling on the amounts of alcohol, food and tobacco people select and consume? A systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic review of the impact of nutrition claims related to fat, sugar and energy content on food choices and energy intake.BMC public health · 2019Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Nutritional labelling for healthier food or non-alcoholic drink purchasing and consumption.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Hypotheses and evidence related to intense sweeteners and effects on appetite and body weight changes: A scoping review of reviews.PloS one · 2018Pooled it
- A systematic review, and meta-analyses, of the impact of health-related claims on dietary choices.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2017Pooled it
- Impact on product appeal of labeling wine and beer with (a) lower strength alcohol verbal descriptors and (b) percent alcohol by volume (%ABV): An experimental study.Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors · 2018Trial
- Impact of lower strength alcohol labeling on consumption: A randomized controlled trial.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2018Trial
- Digital vectors of disease: how alcohol 'smart' labels leapfrog health policy.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Testing the effects of nutrition-related claims on perceptions of and preferences for alcohol products among Australian consumers.Health promotion international · 2026Article
- The symbolic consumption processes associated with 'low-calorie' and 'low-sugar' alcohol products and Australian women.Health promotion international · 2023Article
- Designing Improved Safer Gambling Messages for Race and Sports Betting: What can be Learned from Other Gambling Formats and the Broader Public Health Literature?Journal of gambling studies · 2023Review
- Energy labelling of alcoholic drinks: An important or inconsequential obesity policy?Obesity science & practice · 2023Review
- Lower Strength Alcohol Products-A Realist Review-Based Road Map for European Policy Making.Nutrients · 2022Review
- Nutritional Description of Foods with Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners in Spain: The BADALI Project.Nutrients · 2022Article
- Nutrition Claims Frequency and Compliance in a Food Sample of the Spanish Market: The BADALI Study.Nutrients · 2020Article
- Are the Claims to Blame? A Qualitative Study to Understand the Effects of Nutrition and Health Claims on Perceptions and Consumption of Food.Nutrients · 2019Article
- Article
- The Impact of Nutrition and Health Claims on Consumer Perceptions and Portion Size Selection: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey.Nutrients · 2018Article
- Marketing messages accompanying online selling of low/er and regular strength wine and beer products in the UK: a content analysis.BMC public health · 2018Article
- Impact of low alcohol verbal descriptors on perceived strength: An experimental study.British journal of health psychology · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundExplicit labelling of lower strength alcohol products could reduce alcohol consumption by attracting more people to buy and drink such products instead of higher strength ones. Alternatively, it may lead to more consumption due to a 'self-licensing' mechanism. Equivalent labelling of food or tobacco (for example "Low fat" or "Low tar") could influence consumption of those products by similar mechanisms. This systematic review examined the effects of 'Low alcohol' and equivalent labelling of alcohol, food and tobacco products on selection, consumption, and perceptions of products among adults.
methodsA systematic review was conducted based on Cochrane methods. Electronic and snowball searches identified 26 eligible studies. Evidence from 12 randomised controlled trials (all on food) was assessed for risk of bias, synthesised using random effects meta-analysis, and interpreted in conjunction with evidence from 14 non-randomised studies (one on alcohol, seven on food and six on tobacco). Outcomes assessed were: quantities of the product (i) selected or (ii) consumed (primary outcomes - behaviours), (iii) intentions to select or consume the product, (iv) beliefs associated with it consumption, (v) product appeal, and (vi) understanding of the label (secondary outcomes - cognitions).
resultsEvidence for impacts on the primary outcomes (i.e. amounts selected or consumed) was overall of very low quality, showing mixed effects, likely to vary by specific label descriptors, products and population characteristics. Overall very low quality evidence suggested that exposure to 'Low alcohol' and equivalent labelling on alcohol, food and tobacco products can shift consumer perceptions of products, with the potential to 'self-licence' excess consumption.
conclusionsConsiderable uncertainty remains about the effects of labels denoting low alcohol, and equivalent labels, on alcohol, food and tobacco selection and consumption. Independent, high-quality studies are urgently needed to inform policies on labelling regulations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.