A randomised experimental study comparing perceptions of two energy drink health warning labels.

Issue addressed. Consumption of energy drinks is a public health concern, particularly in adolescents and young adults. This study explored energy drink consumers' reactions to an energy drink-specific warning label (risk of cardiac effects) and a more general sugary drink warning label (risk of obesity). Methods. An online experimental study randomly allocated Australian energy drink consumers aged 18-39 years (N = 435) to view one of two label conditions (cardiac effects or obesity). Participants were assessed on: intention to reduce energy drink consumption, perceived health threat, perceived label effectiveness and policy support for energy drink warning labels. Results. Mean intentions to reduce consumption scores were similar across the two label conditions (M_obesity = 2.5, M_cardiac = 2.6) overall; and were higher for the cardiac label (compared to obesity label) for some subgroups: females (M_obesity = 2.3, M_cardiac = 2.8; p = .037), older (25-39years;...