Alcohol and Cancer Risk: A Health Promotion Exercise

This article and infographic aim to inform the public about the dangers of consuming alcohol and its link to cancer. The message is clear and reader-friendly, encouraging behavior change for a healthier lifestyle. The media outlet chosen is a national newspaper, which reaches a broad audience and can be kept for future reference.

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Alcohol and Cancer Risk
Student
Institutional Affiliation
Health Promotion

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Newspaper Article
The main idea is on a health promotion exercise. The primary intention is to pass information to
the general public on how they can prevent cancer. (La Vecchia, 2014). In this case, the
appropriate media outlet that will be used is a national newspaper. The message in the article
warns the general public about the dangers of consuming alcohol. It demonstrates that alcohol
consumption might cause cancer. Also, the information explains that cancer can even cause
death. As a result, the public must be aware of this fact and avoid the consumption of alcohol.
Additionally, the message informs the consumers of alcohol that there is a need to change their
behaviors (Stevens, 2001). Behavior change will ensure that they live a healthy living thus
preventing unnecessary deaths in future. The facts are also manifest in the article. For instance,
the photos showing how alcohol causes cancer are shown. Also, the wording of the advert is
precise and straightforward for the audience to comprehend..
The message on behavior change is evident. It gives warnings to the public about the dangers of
consuming alcohol. Moreover, it shows scaring images on the causes of cancer. Therefore, it is
likely to influence the consumers of alcohol to abandon the habit and live a healthy living in
future. They might fear to encounter the same suffering like the images of individuals drawn in
the picture ("Drinking alcohol increases cancer risk", 2018). There is a need to give contact
details for further information. For example, the phone numbers of the promoters and their
emails. The step will assist in ensuring that individuals can seek further clarification on the topic
in future. It is a common phenomenon where some audience didn't understand the message well.
The appropriate word for this article is a warning message. In this case, the message should
inform the public/audience of the adverse effects of alcohol consumption.

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Infographic
The message informs the public that drinking alcohol increases their chances of developing
cancers. The image shows the various causes of cancer (Boyle & Boffetta, 2009). The caption on
the advert is clear that this is a health warning. It is warning the audience that they should be
mindful of their health. The heading is excellent since it catches the eye of all the viewers. In this
case, the audience comprises of all the individuals of all age groups.
The message is appealing and reader-friendly to a broad audience. It is attractive because the
words and the image in the article are clear. Anybody reading the material can easily understand

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its content. It is also easy for the audience to know the intentions of the article. For instance, it is
influencing the public to change their lifestyles. It is evident where it suggests that consuming
alcohol increases the risks of developing cancers (Kan, Huang, Tan & Zhou, 2011). The message
is reader friendly because it lures the audience to change their behaviors. The info graphics are
based on the latest evidence and statistics on the topic area. The highest case of cancer originates
from smoking while alcohol consumption has 3,200 cases.
Reasons for choosing the media outlet
I chose the national newspaper because it reaches a broad audience. It is because the paper is
distributed to all regions of the nation. As a result, the message will automatically be accessible
to the target audience. Also, the national newspaper is written in an official language. Therefore,
anybody reading the information will easily comprehend it. Additionally, national newspapers
can be kept in national archives for future reference (Jarl & Gerdtham, 2012). It is contrary to
other media outlets like the community newspaper and the student's magazine. Some of these
media outlets might not be kept for the future reference. The prevention message is appropriate
the reading audience of the suggested outlet. It is because the message is short and precise. The
language is also simple and easy to understand to the target audience. It is also appropriate to the
target audience because it persuades them to change their lifestyles. The prevention message has
clear images that show how certain behaviors like alcohol consumption causes cancer. The
message has also used a variety colors that make it appealing to the audience. As a result, it will
attract the eye of the audience who see it.

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References
Boyle, P., & Boffetta, P. (2009). Alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk. Breast Cancer
Research, 11(S3). doi: 10.1186/bcr2422
Drinking alcohol increases cancer risk. (2018). The Pharmaceutical Journal. doi:
10.1211/pj.2018.20204277
Jarl, J., & Gerdtham, U. (2012). Time pattern of reduction in risk of oesophageal cancer
following alcohol cessation-a meta-analysis. Addiction, 107(7), 1234-1243.
doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03772.x
Kan, H., Huang, Y., Tan, Y., & Zhou, J. (2011). Meta-analysis of alcohol consumption and risk
of extrahepatic bile system cancer. Hepatology Research, 41(8), 746-753. doi:
10.1111/j.1872-034x.2011.00831.x
La Vecchia, C. (2014). 29: Alcohol and cancer risk, with focus on low doses. European Journal
Of Cancer, 50, S8. doi: 10.1016/s0959-8049(14)50029-9
Stevens, R. (2001). Alcohol exposure in utero and breast cancer risk later in life. Alcohol And
Alcoholism, 36(3), 276-277. doi: 10.1093/alcalc/36.3.276