The credibility of risk information about licit substances: An exploratory study of attitudes among Swedish adults

AIMS – Providing risk information on licit substances is a central health promotion strategy. Thereis, however, very little knowledge about public attitudes on this information. In this exploratorystudy we analyse the extent to which Swedish adults: 1) trust risk information regarding alcohol,cigarettes and wet snuff (“snus”) provided by public authorities, 2) perceive risk informationregarding alcohol, cigarettes and snus as consistent, and 3) have received an adequate amountof risk information from public authorities regarding these substances. The aim is also toinvestigate if certain characteristics among participants are related to their perceptions of suchrisk information. METHODS – A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of individuals aged18 to 70 (n=1623, 54% response rate). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression techniqueswere used to process data. RESULTS – Participants trusted risk information concerning cigarettes,snus and alcohol provided by public authorities, and reported that they had received an adequateamount of it. Information about cigarettes was seen as more trustworthy and consistent thaninformation about alcohol and snus. The study suggests that attitudes on risk information aresubstance-specific and associated in complex ways with gender, age, education and experience ofown substance use. CONCLUSION – While only a first attempt to map an under-investigated area,our study highlights complexities in how people perceive risk information about licit substances. Italso indicates that the general population in Sweden receives what is seen as an adequate amountof knowledge from public authorities, and finds it consistent and trustworthy