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Skin cancer prevention efforts in Australia have increasingly incorporated a focus on protection during incidental sun exposure. This complements the long-present messages promoting protection in high-risk settings and avoidance of acute intense bouts of sun exposure. Data from two waves of a cross-sectional direct observational survey was used to assess the prevalence and correlates of N = 12,083 adolescents' and adults' sun protection behavior (arm and leg cover, hat, sunglasses, and shade cover). Individuals were observed in public outdoor settings in Melbourne, Australia during peak ultraviolet (UV) times (11 a.m.-3 p.m.) on summer weekends. Settings included pools and beaches, parks and gardens, and for the first time in 2018, outdoor streets and cafés which may capture more incidental forms of sun exposure and represent another public setting where Australians commonly spend time outdoors. Females and older adults were consistently better protected than males and adolescents. Physical activity was strongly associated with low shade cover across settings. Weather was more strongly associated with sun protection at outdoor streets/cafes and parks/gardens than at pools/beaches but use of observed sun protection (particularly arm cover and covering hat) was low across settings. Continued public education about UV risk and its relation to weather and the seasons is needed to promote the routine use of multiple forms of sun protection during outdoor activities in peak UV times, especially among males and adolescents. Findings also highlight the importance of considering activity demands of public spaces in shade planning to optimize sun protection during outdoor activities in public spaces.

Introduction Roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco is a popular choice in Australia, with some people who smoke finding these products more attractive than factory-made cigarettes (FMC). Differences in visual and tactile properties and in the feel and taste of the smoke may contribute to this attractiveness. These differences may be driven by variation in tobacco constituents and wrapping paper permeability. However, to date, there has been no comparison of RYO and FMC products on the Australian market. Aims and Methods Chemical constituents, pH, flavorants, and paper permeability were compared in unburned RYO tobacco and tobacco from FMC. RYO and FMC products from matched brands were compared, as were products from the most popular FMC and RYO brands on the Australian market in 2018. Results RYO tobacco had higher moisture and humectant content (glycerol and propylene glycol) than FMC tobacco. RYO tobacco also had higher amounts of total and reducing sugars and lower nicotine when comparing the most popular brands. RYO papers were less permeable than FMC papers. Both RYO and FMC tobacco contained many chemicals identified as flavorants, including fourteen with known potential health risks. For most measured constituents and flavorants, RYO tobaccos had more in common with other RYO than FMC, with the commonalities remaining even when matched brands were compared. Conclusions Higher levels of moisture, humectants, and sugars in Australian RYO tobacco compared to FMC may be increasing attractiveness of RYO by reducing the harsh taste of the smoke and increasing the moist feel of the tobacco. Implications While price is the main factor driving the use of RYO tobacco, some people who smoke find these products more attractive. This study has shown that Australian RYO tobacco contains higher amounts of glycerol, propylene glycol, and sugars than FMC. These chemicals may be improving the taste of the tobacco, as well as creating a moist feel that is falsely perceived as indicating that the tobacco is "fresh" and "less chemically." Ironically, it may be that higher amounts of some added chemicals in RYO contribute to false perceptions of a more natural and less harmful product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass media campaigns can change attitudes and behaviours to improve population health. However, a key challenge is achieving share of voice in a complex and cluttered media environment. The aim of this study was to compare advertising expenditure on public health campaigns for obesity prevention (and related healthy eating and physical activity campaigns) with competing commercial categories of (a) sugary drinks, (b) artificially sweetened drinks and (c) diet/weight loss products and programmes. These commercial products may either undermine or dilute public health messages by directly contributing to poor health or confusing the public about the best ways to sustain a healthy lifestyle. Monthly estimates of advertising expenditure in Australian media (television, outdoor, cinema, radio, newspapers, magazines and digital) were obtained from Nielsen Media for 2016–18. Eligible public health advertising expenditure for the entire period (total AUD$27M) was vastly outweighed by the commercial categories of sugary drinks (AUD$129M) and diet/weight loss products and services (AUD$122M). Artificially sweetened drinks accounted for an additional AUD$23M of expenditure. These results highlight the need to rebalance the ratio of advertising to support public health in Australia through increased funding for obesity prevention and related campaigns, and critically, through government regulation to limit competing commercial advertising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A more negative implicit evaluation of unhealthy food stimuli and a more positive implicit evaluation of a weight-management goal have been shown to predict lower consumption of unhealthy food. However, the associations between these evaluations, temptation to indulge and consumption of unhealthy food remain unclear. The current study investigated whether temptation would mediate the relationship between implicit food and goal evaluations and consumption (resembling an antecedent-focused route to self-control of eating), or whether those evaluations would moderate the relationship between temptation and consumption (resembling a response-focused route). A sample of 156 women (17–25 years), who tried to manage their weight through healthy eating, completed two implicit association tasks assessing implicit food and goal evaluations, respectively. Intake of four energy-dense snack foods was measured in a task disguised as a taste test, and participants reported the strength of experienced temptation to indulge in the snacks offered. Negative implicit food evaluation was associated with lower snack intake, and temptation mediated this relationship. Implicit goal evaluation was unrelated to both temptation strength and snack consumption. The findings contribute to an understanding of how negative implicit unhealthy food evaluation relates to lower consumption, namely through the mediation of temptation to indulge in those foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skin cancer presents a significant public health burden in Australia. The present study aimed to supplement population-based estimates of sun protection behaviour by examining setting-specific trends in directly observed sun protection in public outdoor leisure settings. Repeated cross-sectional observational surveys of adolescents and adults were conducted on summer weekends between 11 am and 3 pm from 1992 to 2002, 2006 to 2012, and 2018 to 2019 (N = 44,979) at pools/beaches and parks/gardens within 25 km of the centre of Melbourne, Victoria. The primary outcome was a binary index representing individuals having above or below the median level of body surface covered by hat, shirt, and leg garments in each setting type. The prevalence of above-median body coverage increased between 1992 and 2002 in both settings. At pools/beaches, a slight decline in above-median body coverage between 2006 and 2019 in males and females (adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 0.96 [0.94, 0.97]; 0.94 [0.93, 0.95]) appeared to be driven by a decline in leg coverage, while arm coverage, hat, sunglasses, and shade use remained stable. At parks/gardens, a decline in above-median body coverage between 2006 and 2019 (AOR = 0.90 [0.89, 0.91]; 0.94 [0.93, 0.95]) was accompanied by small declines across other protective behaviours that varied between males and females. Patterns in protective behaviours observed in outdoor leisure settings may reflect the changing composition of individuals choosing to remain outdoors during peak UV times and highlight the importance of continued promotion and monitoring of the use of multiple measures to protect against UV damage in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aims: Discretionary, energy-dense, nutrient-poor food and drinks are heavily marketed and readily available in retail settings frequented by adolescents. This study examines associations between food purchasing practices in various retail settings and dietary intake among Australian adolescents., Methods: Participants were students in years 8 to 11 (ages 12-17 years) who completed the 2009-10 (n = 13 790), 2012-13 (n = 10 309) or 2018 (n = 9102) National Secondary Students' Diet and Activity (NaSSDA) cross-sectional survey. Multistage stratified random sampling was used. An online survey completed at school assessed self-reported frequency of food purchasing practices in various retail settings and consumption of discretionary food, sugary drinks, fruit and vegetables. Generalised linear regression models examined associations between food purchasing practices and dietary behaviour., Results: Relative to students who brought lunch from home, those who purchased lunch from school or nearby outlets reported higher intake of discretionary food and sugary drinks and lower fruit intake. Buying lunch from school was also associated with lower vegetable intake. Buying food or drinks on the school commute, outside school grounds during school hours, from supermarket checkouts, and using mobile phone apps were each associated with higher discretionary food and sugary drink intake (all P < .01)., Conclusions: Purchasing food or drink in various retail settings is associated with higher intake of discretionary food and drink among Australian adolescents, and some purchasing practices appeared to displace fruit and vegetable intake. SO WHAT?: These findings highlight a need to improve the accessibility and promotion of healthier food and drink options in schools and other retail settings., (© 2023 Australian Health Promotion Association.)

Aims: To investigate whether 'low sugar' and related claims influence consumers' perceptions of the healthiness or other attributes of alcoholic drinks, promote greater consumption or impact diet and activity behaviour intentions., Method: N = 501 Australian women aged 18-35 viewed and rated six images of alcoholic drinks in a randomized online experiment with a 2 (claim: low sugar claim, no claim control) × 2 (drink type: cider, ready-to-drink spirits) between-subjects design., Results: Participants who viewed drinks with low sugar claims rated them as healthier, less harmful to health, lower in sugar and kilojoules, and more suitable for weight management and a healthy diet than participants who viewed identical drinks with no claim (P < 0.001-P = 0.002). Drinks with low sugar claims were also perceived as being lower in alcohol (P < 0.001) despite being of equivalent alcohol content. There were no significant differences in anticipated social approval associated with consumption or in hypothetical intended consumption of the drinks, but participants who viewed drinks with low sugar claims were less likely to indicate they would compensate for consumption of the drink by modifying food intake or physical activity (P = 0.01)., Conclusions: Low sugar and related claims on alcoholic drinks can generate a health halo: consumers generalise from a specific favourable attribute (low sugar) to misperceive other favourable health- and nutrition-related attributes, including lower alcohol content. Findings support calls to reconsider the permissibility of low sugar claims on alcoholic drinks as they may mislead consumers., (© The Author(s) 2022. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Marketing, label design, and product innovation strategies are being used by the alcohol industry to position some products as "healthier choices." The aim of this study was to systematically document the content and prevalence of health-oriented marketing on alcohol products on the Australian market and to compare the online availability of nutrition information and the alcohol and nutrient content between products with and without such features., Method: Health-oriented marketing features on all beer, cider, and ready-to-drink (RTD) premixed drinks, and selected wines on the website of the largest liquor retailer in Australia were audited using a systematic coding protocol. Nutrition information was sought from manufacturer/brand websites., Results: A total of 54% of beers, ciders, and RTDs featured health-oriented marketing, the most common forms being natural imagery or descriptors, or references to fruit ingredients. Twenty-one percent of audited wines featured health-oriented marketing. The prevalence of specific features varied by product category. Online availability of nutrition information for alcohol products was poor (12% of beer, cider, and RTDs). Products with health-oriented marketing were lower in energy and alcohol content than those without but were still classed as full-strength alcohol on average., Conclusions: Health-oriented marketing is prevalent on alcohol products sold in Australia. In the absence of universal and standardized health warning and energy content information on labels, permitted health-oriented marketing has the potential to mislead consumers about product healthiness or to detract from the perceived harm associated with alcohol consumption. Research to test this proposition is now needed to guide labeling policy reform.

Skin cancer prevention efforts in Australia have increasingly incorporated a focus on protection during incidental sun exposure. This complements the long-present messages promoting protection in high-risk settings and avoidance of acute intense bouts of sun exposure. Data from two waves of a cross-sectional direct observational survey was used to assess the prevalence and correlates of N = 12,083 adolescents' and adults' sun protection behavior (arm and leg cover, hat, sunglasses, and shade cover). Individuals were observed in public outdoor settings in Melbourne, Australia during peak ultraviolet (UV) times (11 a.m.-3 p.m.) on summer weekends. Settings included pools and beaches, parks and gardens, and for the first time in 2018, outdoor streets and cafés which may capture more incidental forms of sun exposure and represent another public setting where Australians commonly spend time outdoors. Females and older adults were consistently better protected than males and adolescents. Physical activity was strongly associated with low shade cover across settings. Weather was more strongly associated with sun protection at outdoor streets/cafes and parks/gardens than at pools/beaches but use of observed sun protection (particularly arm cover and covering hat) was low across settings. Continued public education about UV risk and its relation to weather and the seasons is needed to promote the routine use of multiple forms of sun protection during outdoor activities in peak UV times, especially among males and adolescents. Findings also highlight the importance of considering activity demands of public spaces in shade planning to optimize sun protection during outdoor activities in public spaces.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe advertising expenditure for sugary drinks compared with alternative cold non-alcoholic beverages (artificially sweetened beverages, plain water, plain milk) between 2016 and 2018 across Australian media channels., Methods: Monthly estimates of advertising expenditure for non-alcoholic beverages were obtained from Nielsen Media and aggregated by product type and media., Results: Total sugary drink advertising expenditure between 2016 and 2018 ($129.5M) significantly exceeded expenditure on artificially sweetened drinks ($23.26M), plain water ($14.27M), and plain milk ($31.30M). Television and out-of-home advertising accounted for the largest share of sugary drink advertising (45%, 35%). Expenditure on out-of-home advertising was more heavily dominated by sugary drinks (75%) than advertising in all media combined (65%). Sugary drink advertising peaked in warmer months and was lowest in August. Soft drinks (26%), flavoured milks (24%) and energy drinks (21%) accounted for the majority of sugary drink advertising., Conclusions: Cold non-alcoholic beverage advertising in Australian media is dominated by the advertising of sugary drinks. Implications for public health: Restricting unhealthy beverage advertising on television and out-of-home media may be most effective initially. However, comprehensive restrictions capturing a broader range of media and settings would be optimal to prevent displacement and limit advertising reach and exposure., (© 2021 The Authors.)