Today on World Cancer Day, a Western Australian public education campaign has been recognised nationwide for its role in helping reduce the risk of developing alcohol-related cancer.
The Alcohol.Think Again ‘Spread’ campaign was developed by the Mental Health Commission in partnership with Cancer Council WA to educate the community that the more alcohol used over a lifetime, the greater the risk of developing cancer. It aims to empower people to make informed decisions about their alcohol use.
This very successful WA campaign was adapted for use in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE). Today, FARE has released evaluation results from the ACT, which show substantial increases in awareness about the link between alcohol use and specific types of cancer.
The Alcohol.Think Again ‘Spread’ campaign has also received international recognition for its ability to achieve behaviour change. A study conducted by Victorian researchers found the ‘Spread’ campaign was identified as the alcohol reduction campaign most likely to motivate adults to reduce their alcohol use.
Visit alcoholthinkagain.com.au for more information on about the ‘Spread’ campaign and strategies to stay at low-risk of alcohol-related cancer.
As stated by Mental Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson:
“Today, on World Cancer Day, the importance of locally developed public education campaigns in raising awareness and changing behaviours has been acknowledged by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education evaluation results.
“In 2017, WA Health Department data showed that one Western Australian died every three days from cancer caused by alcohol. The less alcohol you drink, the lower your risk of developing an alcohol-related cancer.
“These evaluation results clearly show that the WA Government’s investment in this very important campaign really is making a difference to our community.”
