UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Impact of health warning labels on selection and consumption of food and alcohol products: systematic review with meta-analysis

Clarke, Natasha; Pechey, Emily; Kosite, Daina; Koenig, Laura M; Mantzari, Eleni; Blackwell, Anna KM; Marteau, Theresa M; (2021) Impact of health warning labels on selection and consumption of food and alcohol products: systematic review with meta-analysis. Health Psychology Review , 15 (3) pp. 430-453. 10.1080/17437199.2020.1780147. Green open access

[thumbnail of Impact of health warning labels on selection and consumption of food and alcohol products systematic review with meta-analys.pdf]
Preview
Text
Impact of health warning labels on selection and consumption of food and alcohol products systematic review with meta-analys.pdf - Published Version

Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

Health warning labels (HWLs) could reduce harmful consumption of food (including non-alcoholic drinks) and alcoholic drinks. A systematic review with meta-analysis using Cochrane methods was conducted to assess the impact on selection (including hypothetical selection) or consumption of food or alcoholic drink products displaying image-and-text (sometimes termed ‘pictorial’) and text-only HWLs. Fourteen randomised controlled trials were included, three for alcohol, eleven for food. For the primary outcomes, eleven studies measured selection and one measured consumption (two measured only other secondary outcomes). Meta-analysis of twelve comparisons from nine studies (n=12,635) found HWLs reduced selection of the targeted product compared with no HWL (RR=0.74 (95%CI 0.68–0.80)), with participants 26% less likely to choose a product displaying a HWL. A planned subgroup analysis suggested a larger (although not statistically significant) effect on selection of image-and-text HWLs (RR=0.65 (95%CI 0.54–0.80)) than text-only HWLs (RR=0.79 (95%CI 0.74–0.85)). These findings suggest significant potential for HWLs to reduce selection of food and alcoholic drinks, but all experimental studies to date were conducted in laboratory or online settings with outcomes assessed immediately after a single exposure. Studies in field and naturalistic laboratory settings are needed to estimate the potential effects of food and alcohol HWLs. Study registration: PROSPERO 2018 (registration number: CRD42018106522).

Type: Article
Title: Impact of health warning labels on selection and consumption of food and alcohol products: systematic review with meta-analysis
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1080/17437199.2020.1780147
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2020.1780147
Language: English
Additional information: © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords: Health warning labels, sugar sweetened beverages, alcohol, food, systematic review, meta-analysis
UCL classification: UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Social Research Institute
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education
UCL
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10158499
Downloads since deposit
8Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item