Alcohol and breast cancer risk: Middle-aged women’s logic and recommendations for reducing consumption in Australia

Background
We aimed to understand the factors shaping alcohol consumption patterns in middle-aged women (45–64), and to identify participant-driven population- and policy-level strategies that may be used to addresses alcohol consumption and reduce breast cancer risk.
Methods
Semi-structured interviews (n = 35) were conducted with ‘middle-aged’ women conversant in English and living in South Australia with no history of breast cancer diagnosis. Data were deductively coded using a co-developed framework including variables relevant to our study objectives. Women were asked about their current level of awareness of the association between alcohol and breast cancer risk, and their personal recommendations for how to decrease consumption in middle-aged Australian women.
Results
Women discussed their previous efforts to decrease consumption, which we drew on to identify preliminary recommendations for consumption reduction. We identified a low level of awareness of alcohol and breast cancer risk, and confusion related to alcohol as a risk for breast cancer, but not always causing breast cancer. Participants suggested that education and awareness, through various means, may help to reduce consumption.
Conclusions
Participants’ description of strategies used to reduce their own consumption lead us to suggest that campaigns might focus on the more salient and immediate effects of alcohol (e.g. on physical appearance and mental health) rather than longer-term consequences. Critical considerations for messaging include addressing the personal, physical and social pleasures that alcohol provides, and how these may differ across socio-demographics.

背景：本研究旨在明确影响45至64岁中年女性饮酒行为模式的相关因素，并识别由参与者提出的、可用于应对饮酒问题并降低乳腺癌风险的人群层面与政策层面干预策略。
方法：本研究对35名精通英语、居住于南澳大利亚州且无乳腺癌病史的中年女性开展半结构化访谈。采用契合本研究目标的共同开发编码框架对数据进行演绎编码。访谈内容涵盖受试者当前对酒精与乳腺癌风险关联的认知水平，以及她们针对澳大利亚中年女性如何减少饮酒量提出的个人建议。
结果：受试者分享了自身既往减少饮酒的尝试，本研究据此提炼出初步的饮酒量降低建议。本研究发现受试者对酒精与乳腺癌风险的认知水平普遍偏低，且存在对“酒精是乳腺癌风险因素但未必致癌”这一表述的认知困惑。参与者提出，通过多种途径开展健康教育与认知提升工作，或有助于减少饮酒行为。
结论：基于受试者分享的自身减酒策略，本研究建议相关宣传活动可聚焦于酒精对人体外观与心理健康等更为显著且即时的影响，而非长期后果。宣传信息设计需重点考量酒精所带来的个人、生理及社交愉悦感，以及此类愉悦感在不同社会人口学特征群体间的差异。