This study is designed to assess the effects of warning labels on alcoholic beverage containers, which will become mandatory in the U.S. by November of 1989. A national telephone survey of 2000 adults, already conducted in June and July of 1989, has established baseline data for this purpose. It is proposed to repeat the same survey process in June and July of 1990 and June and July of 1991, to investigate nearer and longer term changes. In addition, surveys of 1000 adults in Ontario, Canada in 1990 and 1991, in conjunction with an existing 1989 Canadian survey with partial comparability with the 1989 U.S. data, will provide a comparison case. Data from newspaper and other media indexes on coverage of warning labels and other alcohol policy issues, information on state and local warning sign proposals and legislation, and relevant social and health statistics, will also be collected for analysis. The investigation focuses on detecting changes in knowledge, attitudes and behavior concerning the drinking of alcoholic beverages, as these changes may be coincident with the introduction of these labels, and on studying the interrelations between such changes. In addition, the research is designed to analyze potential indirect relationships between the introduction of warning labels and shifts in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors concerning drinking, and to analyze effects of the warning labels within a larger context of shifts in the cultural position of drinking in American society.
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