Students’ experiences of a facial morphing intervention designed to encourage safer drinking

Abstract

Objective: The study was designed to investigate women’s experiences of an age-appearance, facial-ageing, morphing intervention to show the effect of alcohol consumption on their skin.

Design: Seventeen women aged 19–32 took part in the study, using individual sessions where they viewed the intervention.

Main Outcome Measures: Participants were recorded during their viewing of the facial-ageing software, and the recordings of the sessions were then transcribed.

Results: Transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The women were shocked about the possible impact of alcohol consumption on their skin and appearance, and all of the women stated that the intervention had made them think about changing their alcohol consumption behaviours in the future, after viewing the images of themselves which were morphed to show the effects of both moderate and excessive alcohol consumption.

Conclusion: The results are discussed in relation to suggestions for interventions aimed at women. It is concluded that appearance-based interventions do have a role to play with regards to alcohol consumption interventions.

Keywords:

• alcohol
• intervention
• women
• ageing
• appearance

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the participants for giving up their time to take part in the intervention, and for sharing their thoughts and feelings with us.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.