How Can Warning Be Displayed on Alcohol advertisement to impact youth consumption?

Study objectives: Warnings are one of the measures recommended by health policymakers to reduce alcohol misuse. In countries that have adopted them, alcohol warnings seem not to be effective enough to influence people. This exploratory research investigates the effect of different warnings content (short/long-term risks; health/other risks) and formats (text-only vs. combined text and pictogram) on the variables of persuasion: attention, comprehension, credibility, intention to drink less. Methods and material: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 young French people aged 18-25. This target is relevant as there has been an increase in "binge drinking" in recent decades. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Some warning content may increase knowledge, awareness and susceptibility (social risks, short-term risks, accurate risks) among young people. In addition, larger warnings and combined text and pictogram messages increase visibility, noticeability and message comprehension. However, alcohol warnings alone seem insufficient to influence behavioural intentions. Conclusion: Our research is the first one, to our knowledge, that compare health risks, social risks and other risks (environmental, calorie intake, etc.) in order to find the most suitable and effective topic to convince young people. Regarding public health, these findings can help health policymakers to increase the effectiveness of alcohol warnings displayed on ads. This is true not only for France but also for the other 55 countries that required warning on alcohol advertisements. This research remains limited due to its exploratory nature. Declarative methods are prone to social-desirability bias, denial, etc