Glassware design and drinking behaviours: a review of impact and mechanisms using a new typology of drinking behaviours

Abstract

Much of the global burden of disease is attributable to unhealthy behaviour, including excessive consumption of alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages. Developing effective methods to change these drinking behaviours could inform policies to improve population health. In line with an increasing interest in environmental-level interventions–i.e., changing the environment in which a behaviour occurs in order to change the behaviour of interest–this review first describes the existing evidence of the impact of glassware design (including capacity and shape) on drinking behaviours (e.g., at the ‘micro’ level–including sip size, as well as at the macro level–including amount consumed). The roles of two sets of possible underlying mechanisms–perception and affordance–are also explored. Finally, this review sets out a provisional typology of drinking behaviours to enable more systematic approaches to the study of these behaviours. While there is a paucity of evidence–in particular on measures of consumption–this growing evidence base suggests promising targets for novel interventions involving glassware design to reduce the consumption of drinks that harm health. Trial registration:ISRCTN.org identifier: ISRCTN10456720.