The health halo effect of 'low sugar' and related claims on alcoholic drinks: an online experiment with young women.

AIMS: To investigate whether 'low sugar' and related claims influence consumers' perceptions of the healthiness or other attributes of alcoholic drinks, promote greater consumption or impact diet and activity behaviour intentions. METHOD: N = 501 Australian women aged 18-35 viewed and rated six images of alcoholic drinks in a randomized online experiment with a 2 (claim: low sugar claim, no claim control) × 2 (drink type: cider, ready-to-drink spirits) between-subjects design. RESULTS: Participants who viewed drinks with low sugar claims rated them as healthier, less harmful to health, lower in sugar and kilojoules, and more suitable for weight management and a healthy diet than participants who viewed identical drinks with no claim (P < 0.001-P = 0.002). Drinks with low sugar claims were also perceived as being lower in alcohol (P < 0.001) despite being of equivalent alcohol content. There were no significant differences in anticipated social approval associated with consumption or in hypothetical intended consumption of the drinks, but participants who viewed drinks with low sugar claims were less likely to indicate they would compensate for consumption of the drink by modifying food intake or physical activity (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Low sugar and related claims on alcoholic drinks can generate a health halo: consumers generalise from a specific favourable attribute (low sugar) to misperceive other favourable health- and nutrition-related attributes, including lower alcohol content. Findings support calls to reconsider the permissibility of low sugar claims on alcoholic drinks as they may mislead consumers.

Psychiatric disorder and separation from military service: a 10-year retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the association between the onset of psychiatric morbidity and separation from military service over a 10-year period (1991-2001). METHOD: The prevalence of affective, anxiety, somatic, and substance use disorders was assessed in 2,215 male Australian Navy personnel with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. RESULTS: The onset of a psychiatric disorder during military service was related to a 19% greater risk of separation overall. The majority of those leaving military service did so in the first year after symptom onset. Personnel who remained in service past this period had no significantly elevated risk of separation in subsequent years. CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatric morbidity represents a significant potential cost to defense forces. Improved recognition and early management of mental health problems among military personnel may improve retention rates.