Invitation to Tender for research on alcohol free drinks and pregnancy

The deadline for submissions is 9am on Tuesday, 19 November 2024.

Many people report drinking at least some alcohol during their pregnancy. Estimates from the Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints study, for example, suggested that three-quarters (75%) of women drank at least some alcohol whilst pregnant, and a third (33%) reported binge drinking (defined as six or more units per occasion) at least once. The researchers concluded that “alcohol use during pregnancy is prevalent and socially pervasive in the UK”.

Evidence on the damaging effects of heavy alcohol consumption in pregnancy is well established and, although there is less consensus regarding the impact of moderate alcohol intake, the UK’s Chief Medical Officers advise that “if you are pregnant…the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all, to keep risks to your baby to a minimum”.

Research suggests, however, that there remains a lack of awareness of the potential adverse effects of alcohol consumption on the child in the womb, with a common belief that only ‘strong’ alcohol and alcohol in large quantities is harmful. Other explanations for drinking alcohol during pregnancy include receiving conflicting advice from different sources about how safe it is to drink when pregnant, belief in the beneficial properties of alcohol, drinking to cope with adverse life experiences, alcohol consumption as a cultural custom, alcohol dependency, and other multifaceted and complex reasons.

Amongst the general UK population, alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks that taste like traditional alcoholic drinks have become increasingly popular in recent years. In 2022, one-third (33%) of adults said they had consumed such drinks at least once in the past year, 18% at least once a month, and 10% at least once a week.

Motivations for consuming alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks include their perceived improved quality and wider availability in recent years, a decreased social stigma associated with them, increased availability of brands equivalent to consumers’ regular alcoholic drinks, and, significantly, the desire to choose a healthier alternative to alcohol.

An online survey by Alcohol Change UK in 2022 found that 83% of ‘increasing risk’ drinkers (women drinking between 15 and 35 units a week and men drinking between 15 and 50 units a week) and ‘higher risk’ drinkers (drinking above 35 units a week for women or above 50 units a week for men) who were actively cutting back their alcohol consumption regarded alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks as important to that process.

Nevertheless, research on the impacts of these drinks is still in its infancy and despite their potential to reduce overall alcohol consumption via a replacement effect (i.e. swapping alcohol-free and low-alcohol for alcoholic drinks), there remain concerns that other, potentially negative, effects may also play a role. This includes a possible ‘additionality’ effect, by which alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks are consumed in addition to alcoholic drinks; and the reinforcement of alcohol industry branding in consumers’ minds through its presence on alcohol-free and low-alcohol products and which may consequently increase overall alcohol consumption.

More specifically, there is dearth of research around the role that alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks play during pregnancy, which we aim to begin to address through this project. Recent conversations with the lead researchers of an as-yet unpublished qualitative study of pregnant women and those who have recently had children, have indicated that such drinks are regarded as a useful alternative to sweeter soft drinks (pop, juice etc.) by those already intending to stop drinking during their pregnancy. However, it is not clear what role they might play among women who plan to continue to consume some alcohol during their pregnancy or who have made no firm decision on the matter.

Alcohol Change UK’s own fieldwork, offering samples of alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks at food festivals since 2017, has also highlighted uncertainty amongst consumers, and amongst pregnant people in particular, about the relative safety and health risk/benefits of consuming drinks which are labelled as “alcohol-free” compared with those that are described as “low-alcohol”. This most commonly manifests in discussions about whether 0.5% ABV drinks can/should be consumed by people who are seeking to abstain from alcohol (for whatever reason, including pregnancy).   

This new project is intended to contribute to our understanding of how alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks are regarded by those who are, or have recently been, pregnant, and their potential role as a harm reduction tool for this group. 

For more details, including how to submit a proposal, please download the invitation to tender below.      

The deadline for submissions is 9am on Tuesday 19 November 2024.