The level of consumers’ knowledge on the influence of ethyl alcohol on health – a review of literature

Abstract

Consumption of alcoholic beverages is com-monplace all over the world, and excessive con-sumption has numerous health consequences. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a change in ethanol consumption behaviour. There are not many review studies that have examined the level of consumers' knowledge of the health effects of ethyl alcohol. There-fore the aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge and beliefs among consumers re-garding the impact of ethyl alcohol on health. A review of the available research showed that the knowledge in the context of all assessed aspects is insufficient regardless of the study group. The term "standard drink" for ethyl alco- hol is often unknown or not understood, which translates into higher consumption. The energy value of alcoholic beverages is often underesti- mated as are the health consequences of exces- sive consumption. The analysed studies also indicated that there is a lack of knowledge on the impact of ethyl alcohol on pregnancies and lactation, and the internet is the most common source of knowledge in this area. Therefore it seems necessary to conduct educational ac- tivities, taking into account the participation of health professionals and educational institu- tions, aimed at increasing consumer awareness of the of ethanol on health.