The UK Government levy on sugary drinks producers began in April 2018, potentially influencing the cost of a large range of non-alcoholic beverages. This study looked at how increasing the price of non-alcoholic drinks could influence purchases of alcoholic drinks,…
Does self-control affect interventions to change alcohol, tobacco, and food consumption?
We conducted a systematic review to examine whether individual differences in self-control influence the effectiveness of interventions to change alcohol, tobacco, and food consumption.
Of the 54 studies included in our review, 22 (41%) did not report differences in intervention effectiveness by self-control, 18 (33%) reported interventions to be less effective in those with low self-control, and 14 (26%) reported interventions to be more effective in those with low self-control. This pattern of findings did not differ from chance.
Click on the Read More button for further details on this study.
Does self-control modify the impact of interventions to change alcohol, tobacco, and food consumption? A systematic review. Stautz K, Zupan Z, Field M. Marteau TM
Have wine glasses in England got bigger?
Alcohol consumption in England has increased over time, particularly for wine. In a previous study, we found that wine sales in a bar and restaurant increased by almost 10% when wine was served in a larger glass (Pechey et al., 2016 and Pechey et al., 2017). In our new study, published in the BMJ Christmas issue, we examined whether wine glasses in England have increased in size over time, one of several possible influences upon increasing wine consumption in England. To continue reading about our findings click on the Read More button.
Wine glass size in England from 1700 to 2017: A measure of our time. Zupan, Z., Evans, A., Couturier, D.L., Marteau, T.M.
How do regular UK drinkers perceive the strength of different low and high alcohol verbal descriptors on wine and beer?
In this study we found that verbal descriptors of lower strength wine and beer formed two clusters and effectively communicated reduced alcohol content. 
The verbal descriptors Low, Lower, Light, Lighter, and Reduced formed a cluster and were rated as denoting lower strength products than Regular, but higher strength than the cluster with intensifiers consisting of Extra Low, Super Low, Extra Light and Super Light. To find out further information about this study click on the Read More button.
Impact of low alcohol verbal descriptors on perceived strength: An experimental study. Vasiljevic M, Couturier D-L, & Marteau TM, 2017
How does alcohol advertising affect heavy drinkers?
There is limited evidence available on whether alcohol advertising and counter-advertising impacts upon heavy drinkers’ alcohol consumption. Our study, a collaboration with colleagues at London South Bank University published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, aimed to address this…