April 7-9, 2022 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Abstract: Social Media Use and Demographics Predicted Knowledge about Alcohol as a Cancer Risk Factor
Drinking alcohol increases the risk of cancers, but many Americans are unaware of or even have misbeliefs about the association between alcohol use and cancer. This study aimed to determine whether social media use and other background variables correlate with alcohol-related cancer risk beliefs. Data were obtained from the Health Information National Trends Survey 5 Cycle 4, administered in 2020 (N = 3865). Knowledge about alcohol-related cancer risk was measured by asking participants to what extent drinking beer, wine, or alcohol affected their risk of getting cancer. Responses were recoded as misinformed (decreases risk a lot, decreases risk a little, no effect), well-informed (increases risk a little, increases risk a lot), and uninformed (don’t know). Four social media uses were measured: to visit a social networking site; to share health information on social networking sites; to participate in a health-related online forum or support group; and to watch a health-related YouTube video in the past 12 months. Additionally, age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, employment status, income, smoking status, drinks per week, family cancer history, and whether the participant had been diagnosed with cancer were included. Multinomial logistic regressions were conducted incorporating Jackknife replicate weights; being uninformed was the reference category. Results showed that less than a third of U.S. adults (20.34–31.20%) were aware of the cancer risk of alcohol. People who watched health-related YouTube videos were more likely to be well-informed (OR = 1.55 [95% confidence interval 1.01–2.36] for beer) and misinformed (OR = 1.68 [1.17–2.43] for wine). The number of alcohol drinks per week was associated with higher likelihoods of being misinformed about cancer risks of beer (OR = 1.03 [1.003–1.05]). People who were older and had less education were less likely to be well-informed across all types of alcohol. Females (for liquor) and non-Hispanic Blacks (for beer) were less likely to be well-informed and misinformed, indicating a higher level of uncertainty compared to males and non-Hispanic Whites. In summary, this study confirmed the lack of public awareness about the association between drinking alcohol and cancer. Moreover, watching health-related YouTube videos predicted higher odds of being well-informed (for beer) and misinformed (for wine), pointing to the need for health campaigns to utilize YouTube to provide accurate information and combat misinformation related to cancer risk of alcohol. Third, knowledge disparities exist across social groups. Health communication practitioners should ensure that correct health information can reach older adults, people with less education, Blacks, females, and alcohol consumers.