'Blatant misinformation' in apps backed by alcohol industry 'could cause people to drink more'

A study looked at 15 digital tools and apps created by industry-backed organisations in the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Some apps and websites sponsored by the alcohol industry, which are designed to help users manage their health, spread "blatant misinformation" that could lead to increased alcohol consumption, say researchers.

Academics say there is evidence these industry-funded digital tools contain "health misinformation and user experience features" that favour commercial interests and might skew the accuracy or perception of health risk information. The study also highlighted the use of "dark patterns" in the design of these tools, which manipulate consumers and potentially encourage them to keep drinking.

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) scrutinised 15 digital tools and apps backed by industry organisations across the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, including online unit calculators and the MyDrinkaware app by Drinkaware – supported by donations from major UK alcohol producers and retailers – as well as Diageo's DrinkiQ.

These were measured against 10 services not affiliated with the alcohol industry, such as NHS Drink Free Days and Alcohol Change UK’s Try Dry, for the accuracy of their information. Dr Elliot Roy-Highley, who was involved in the research as an MSc public health student, revealed: "In our study, we found evidence of cultural targeting and peer pressure messaging, all the way up to obfuscating the proven risks of excessive alcohol consumption with blatant misinformation."

“The public need to know the risks associated with the use of alcohol industry-funded apps and platforms which host these tools must work to remove apps which have been shown to contain misinformation.” The NHS advises drinking no more than 14 units a week, which should be spread out over three days or more.

The team put various industry-backed digital assessment platforms to the test using profiles based on a typical male and female with seven different drinking patterns ranging from low to high consumption, including binge drinking within and above the recommended weekly limits of 14 units.

The investigation, reported in Health Promotion International, unveiled contradictory messages that might promote increased alcohol consumption in six industry-supported resources. Moreover, the analysis highlighted that alcohol was often portrayed as commonplace and social in seven industry tools and one non-industry tool.

The report concluded almost all industry-sanctioned platforms left out crucial information regarding alcohol-related risks, and only a fifth of alcohol industry-financed tools provided insight into the link between drinking and elevated cardiovascular disease risk, sharply contrasting with the 70% of non-industry tools that did share this information..

However, non-industry backed tools included these harms and more, such as the risk of physical or psychological harm like brain damage or addiction. Industry-funded services were also more likely to frame their messages to encourage some level of drinking.

Tools such as Drinkaware's unit calculator have come under fire for imisleading users by suggesting only drinking above "binge levels" was harmful. The authors of the study assert that this underplays the danger of lower alcohol consumption levels.

LSHTM's Professor Mark Petticrew said: "We hope that our work will help shine a light on the use of ‘dark apps’ by the alcohol industry and that our framework can now be used to screen future tools released for public use. This report has taken individual findings and generalised them across the industry, which is unhelpful and completely inaccurate when it comes to DrinkiQ."

A spokesperson for DrinkiQ defended their information, stating: "Information cited in DrinkiQ is based on publicly available data and scientific evidence, with clearly referenced data sources. We remain committed to tackling harmful drinking, and we will continue to support DrinkiQ as a powerful and informative tool to do this."

Meanwhile, a representative from Drinkaware said: "Drinkaware uses the World Health Organisation’s internationally recognised Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test for our digital tools and services. Our advice is based on the Chief Medical Officer’s low-risk drinking guidelines, the latest research and approved by an independent panel of medical experts."

In response to the study's findings, Matt Lambert, CEO of the Portman Group which is funded by the drinks industry, argued: "This is a deliberate and counter-productive attempt to discredit well-meaning resources and tools which are funded by the industry to prevent harmful drinking."

"It would be far harder to address harmful consumption without the active cooperation of a responsible alcohol industry, and let’s not forget that industry-funded initiatives have contributed to significant declines in harms such as underage drinking, binge drinking and drink driving over the last decade and more."