Alcohol Bottle Warning Label Improvements  September 9, 2015  

Olivia Janusz   Nicole Kittleson  

Karthik Sajikumar  Thomas Schnieders  

                         

 

I E 576  Human Factors in Product Design  

Dr. Michael Dorneich  Dr. Richard T. Stone  

Industrial Manufacturing Systems Engineering  

Abstract  There is limited research conducted on the awareness of warning labels on alcohol bottles. Four percent of deaths each year can be attributed to alcohol use around the world [7]. As the population increases, and the United States continues to grow more culturally diverse, there comes an increasing need for a mandatory health and safety warning label on alcohol products that can be read and understood by a wide range of people. The current alcohol warning label is small and contains only English. A pictorial form of the warning has the potential to more effectively inform the diverse population of consumers about risks associated with drinking alcohol.    Introduction  Seventy-point-seven percent of Americans over the age of 18 reported drinking alcohol in the last year, and 56.4 percent of the same population drank in the last month [12]. The majority of the population is choosing to consume alcohol and with each drink comes risk. There are two major risks when drinking alcohol. The first risk is drinking while pregnant, which can lead to birth defects. The second is driving after drinking, which can lead to injuries and fatalities. In 2013 there were 10,076 deaths due to alcohol-impaired driving, this accounted for over 30 percent of the car related fatalities that year [12]. Both of these risks are featured on a warning label on every alcohol bottle, as in Figure 1, below. While there is a warning, the label has a small presence when compared to the risk alcohol introduces into the drinker’s life. These are serious consideration to take into account when drinking, and a warning label should promote proper and safe consumption habits.    

 Figure 1: Government Warning on Alcohol Bottles  

 Related Work  There was a positive effect on the population when the Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Act was introduced in the United States in 1989 [1]. After five years of implementation, 56 percent of women and 38 percent of men ages 18-40 were able to remember the warnings about alcohol’s affect on pregnancy and operating a car, respectively [1]. Since the study was done, the label has not changed and there is no new evidence showing any changes in the percent of people aware of these two warnings. The amount of males able to recollect the drinking and driving message is especially concerning when over 75 percent of the people arrested on Driving Under the

Influence (DUI) charges are males [2]. For women, the risks are high when drinking while pregnant. One consequence is having a child born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). As many as 20-50 children out of 1,000 in the United States are born with FASD [12]. A child born with FASD often has difficulty with “coordination, emotional control, school work, socialization, and holding a job [12].”  

 While adding labels to alcohol bottles made a difference compared to the lack of a label, the label hasn’t changed in the last 26 years. The United States population has changed and is continuing to change. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, there are 55 million residents who speak a foreign language and “24 million who speak English less than ‘very well’” [4]. According to a study by the United States Department of Education and The National Institute of Literacy, 21% of the adults in U.S. read below a 5th grade level and 32 million U.S. residents can’t read. This portion of the population is unable to fully comprehend the warning labels. [8]    Label Design  In order to combat the issues with the current warning label design, a new label was designed. To adhere to government regulations, the new label will feature the Surgeon General’s warning already found on the bottle. The proposed design places the Surgeon General warning wrapped around the bottom of the bottle. The font, size, and bold specifications will remain the same. The team believes this will be the best compromise between adding an additional layer of safety and acceptance from the alcohol producers. The banner at the bottom will allow the warning to be seen at all times without distracting from the producers’ logo.    The proposed redesign includes the addition of two icons to the existing labels. The icons are designed to facilitate conveying the warning for those who cannot read English at the necessary level. Not only will this assist the non-English speaking population, but it will also help grab the attention of all drinkers. One icon will target pregnant women. This icon will have a pregnant woman along with the universal sign for ‘no’ overlaid on top of the icon, see Figure 2, below left. The second icon will be of a car also with the universal sign for ‘no’, see Figure 3, below right. The design of the label will feature a black background, white icons of the pregnant

Figure 2: Pregnancy Warning   Figure 3: Vehicle Operation Warning  

woman and car, with red ‘no’ signs. With this color scheme, the icons will stand out against the background, as well as draw attention with the use of red. The images include similar warning as the Surgeon General’s warning around the bottom of the bottle as an extra layer of safety. While this is redundant, it will further engrain the message to the consumers. There might be pushback from the alcohol manufacturers for space, but this would be standardized from the national government.   Methods  A survey was conducted among 23 people. The questions for the survey, including alcohol consumption, were taken from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Each person was asked about their drinking habits, their knowledge of the current warning label, and about the newly designed images. A copy of the survey questions can be found in Appendix A, attached at the end of this document.    Results  Of the 23 individuals surveyed, 87 percent of the participants were able to speak English very well or excellent, and 13 percent reported being able to speak ‘good’ English. The demographics for education tested were 4 percent had a high school degree, 73 percent had a Bachelor's degree, and 23 percent had a post graduate degree. When asked about their drinking habits, 12 individuals consumed less than three units of alcohol in a single occasion, 4 individuals consumed three to five units, five individuals consumed five to seven units, and two consumed greater than seven units. Forty percent of the surveyed population said that they consumed more than eight units of alcohol at least once a week. The 23 individuals were also asked about their knowledge of the current alcohol warning label. Of the 23 individuals that were surveyed, 52 percent said they were aware of the label and 22 percent knew what the warning said. The newly designed images in Figures 2 and 3 were then presented to the participants. Of the participants, 96 percent stated that the images conveyed one should not drink and drive, and that one should not drink while pregnant, while the other 4 percent understood the image as no pregnant women and no driving.    Discussion and Future Work  After administering the survey regarding the current warning label, the level of awareness of the label was not far from what was expected. It is interesting to note that only 22 percent of the sampled population knew what the Surgeon General’s warning stated. As concluded from the survey, the sampled population consumes alcohol beverages and has direct contact with the alcohol bottles containing the warning. Based on the results, it can be seen that the warning labels are not effective even with a highly educated and well spoken demographic. This was the population accessible for the study, and did not encompass those who may be unable to read the warning label due to cultural diversity, education level, health issues, or various other reasons.    

In order to test the validity of the new design, it should be tested with non-English speakers as well as those with low literacy levels and/or minimal schooling. The new test should also take into consideration the age group of the population and their defects in vision, as it can positively or negatively affect the meaning of the images and label.    An important finding from the survey was that almost the entire surveyed population inferred the meaning behind the new images correctly. This is a promising sign that the implementation of this warning label on alcohol bottles could be effective to the consumer. While this shows these images can be understood, future studies need to incorporate the interpretation with individuals from different demographics. There should also be a follow up study to find the most effective image location on the bottle.    One possible future design would be the inclusion of a plastic film that can be torn off that covers the cap of alcohol bottles, specifically ‘shooter’ bottles which contain a single serving of alcohol, typically distilled spirits. This design could also be implemented on wine cups which also contain one serving of alcohol. This plastic film would be clear with the Surgeon General’s warning on it. This would include an additional layer of protection. Another design possibility would be embossing important phrases such as don’t drink and drive.    This design could be tested as follows: One study group would run through the survey questions found in Appendix A with the plastic film. The second study group would run through the survey questions with the currently proposed label design. The third study group would run the survey questions that have the currently proposed label design and the plastic film. The researchers believe the coupled design would be the most effective. As with the coupling of the Surgeon General’s warning wrapped around the bottom of the bottle and the health warning images on the back of the bottle, this redundancy adds an extra chance to convey the warning to the populace.    In this design phase, the focus was put on the immediate risks alcohol introduces. According to Willemsen’s 2005 study [6], there was marked decrease in inclination to purchase cigarettes with the inclusion of graphic imagery on cigarette packages. It is thought that there will be a similar correlation with excessive alcohol consumption with the inclusion of graphic imagery on alcohol containers. Similar to cigarette labels, it was also found that alcohol warnings should be attention-getting, should occupy a considerable portion of the package surface, and involve a rotating and changing message. The warning should also provide a vivid description of alcohol’s effects on the drinker's behavior and health that will evoke an emotional reaction [3]. One potential solution for breaking down the language barrier and making alcohol labels more effective is the addition of graphic imagery.          

Appendix A: Alcohol Consumption Survey  1)   How  many  units*  of  alcohol  drinks  do  you  consume  at  a  single  occasion?  

a.   <  3    b.   3-­‐5  c.   5-­‐7  d.   >7  T3  

      *  One  unit  of  alcohol:  This  equals  one  25ml  single  measure  of  whisky  (ABV  40%),  or  a  third  of  a  pint  of  beer  (ABV  5-­‐6%)  or  half  a  standard  (175ml)  glass  of  red  wine  (ABV  12%).  

      **  ABV:  Alcohol  by  Volume  

 

2)   Do  you  remember  the  safety  warning  on  alcohol  bottles?  If  yes,  what  does  it  say?    

 

3)   What  can  you  infer  from  these  images  if  it’s  on  an  alcohol  bottle?  

                                                                           

 4)   What  is  your  educational  background?  

a.   High  School    b.   Bachelor's  c.   Post  Graduate  degree  d.   Certificate  

 5)   Rate  your  English  standard/level  

a.   Poor  b.   Below  Average  c.   Average  d.   Good    e.   Very  Well    f.   Excellent    

References   [12] Alcohol Facts and Statistics. (2015, March 1). Retrieved September 4, 2015, from http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics    [1] Greenfield, T. (2000). Five Years’ Exposure to Alcohol Warning Label Messages and Them   Impacts: Evidence from Diffusion Analysis. Applied Behavioral Science Review, 6(1), 39-68.   Retrieved August 31, 2015.    [2] Gregory, T. (2013, September 12). Women DUI: Percentage of women DUI rises. Retrieved   September 2, 2015.    [3] Mazis, M. B., Morris, L. A., & Swasy, J. L. (1991). An evaluation of the alcohol warning label:   Initial survey results. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 229-241.    [4] Ross, K. (2012, October 25). Multilingual Warnings and Instructions: An Update. Retrieved   September 2, 2015.    [5] The Beverage Alcohol Manual (BAM). (2012, September 11). Retrieved August 31,   2015.http://www.ttb.gov/spirits/bam.shtml    [6] Willemsen, Marc C., (2005) “The new EU cigarette health warnings benefit smokers who want to quit   the habit: results from the Dutch Continuous Survey of Smoking Habits.” European Journal of Public   Health, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 389-392.    [7] World Health Organization. (2014, May 12). “Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health”.    [8] National Centre for Educational Statistics. (2003). “1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), A First Look at the Literacy of America's Adults in the 21st Century;”.