SYDNEY, Sept. 23 -- Alcohol companies are more than twice as likely to tell consumers to "drink responsibly" than to warn them about health risks, with current voluntary alcohol warnings largely hidden, uninformative and ineffective, an Australian study has found.

The study analyzed more than 6,000 alcohol labels across three major Australian retailers, examining the type and placement of voluntary health warnings and messages, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Public Health Association of Australia.

It found only 25 percent of products carried a voluntary health warning, with 99 percent of those advising specific groups, including minors, pregnant women and drivers, not to drink.

The findings, published in the Au...