A systematic review of alcohol education programs for young people : do these programs change behavior?
- Authors: Calverley, Hannah , Petrass, Lauren , Blitvich, Jennifer
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Health education research Vol. 36, no. 1 (2021), p. 87-99
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- Description: Numerous education programs have addressed young peoples' alcohol use. To date, no peer-reviewed publication has evaluated the effectiveness of such programs delivered across a range of contexts to change alcohol-related behaviors, attitudes and/or knowledge. This systematic review aimed to identify alcohol education programs addressing young people, and determine whether they changed alcohol-related behavior, knowledge and attitudes; and, ascertain components of successful programs. Studies were identified, guided by the PRISMA review process, from the earliest records until June 2020. Included studies (N = 70) comprised an alcohol education program which focused on young people (15-24 years). Forty programs reported behavior changes, and these programs were the highest quality. Others impacted attitudes and/or knowledge only (n = 12); or reported no impacts (n = 17). Recent programs were more likely than older programs to feature online delivery and report behavior changes. To enhance alcohol education, future programs should include the identified quality criteria, alongside process and long-term outcome evaluations, to better monitor effectiveness. Findings indicated some education programs have capacity to positively change alcohol-related behavior; however, outcome consistency varied even in high-quality programs. Alcohol education programs should be designed alongside health education/promotion models and best-practice recommendations, to improve the likelihood of desirable behavior-related outcomes. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
- Description: Numerous education programs have addressed young peoples' alcohol use. To date, no peer-reviewed publication has evaluated the effectiveness of such programs delivered across a range of contexts to change alcohol-related behaviors, attitudes and/or knowledge. This systematic review aimed to identify alcohol education programs addressing young people, and determine whether they changed alcohol-related behavior, knowledge and attitudes; and, ascertain components of successful programs. Studies were identified, guided by the PRISMA review process, from the earliest records until June 2020. Included studies (N = 70) comprised an alcohol education program which focused on young people (15-24 years). Forty programs reported behavior changes, and these programs were the highest quality. Others impacted attitudes and/or knowledge only (n = 12); or reported no impacts (n = 17). Recent programs were more likely than older programs to feature online delivery and report behavior changes. To enhance alcohol education, future programs should include the identified quality criteria, alongside process and long-term outcome evaluations, to better monitor effectiveness. Findings indicated some education programs have capacity to positively change alcohol-related behavior; however, outcome consistency varied even in high-quality programs. Alcohol education programs should be designed alongside health education/promotion models and best-practice recommendations, to improve the likelihood of desirable behavior-related outcomes. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Alcohol consumption in aquatic settings: a mixed-method study exploring young adults’ attitudes and knowledge
- Authors: Calverley, Hannah , Petrass, Lauren , Blitvich, Jennifer
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy Vol. 28, no. 6 (2021), p. 595-605
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- Description: Retrospective studies have identified alcohol as a significant risk factor in drownings involving young adults. Few studies have explored this issue, therefore the current contextual understanding of alcohol consumption in aquatic settings is limited. This study used a survey (n = 182) and one-to-one and small group interviews (n = 23) to investigate knowledge and attitudes of United Kingdom and Australian young adults (aged 18–24 years) towards involvement in aquatic activity after consuming alcohol. Findings illustrated a poor level of general and aquatic-specific alcohol knowledge. Australian educated participants, and those self-reporting: stronger swimming competence; and/or completion of alcohol and water safety education; and/or participation in aquatic activity following alcohol consumption, achieved significantly higher knowledge scores. Most reported a neutral attitude, and those with previous experience of alcohol consumption in aquatic settings had more accepting attitudes of this behavior (p < 0.001). The aquatic activity, context and amount of alcohol consumed influenced attitudes. Participants reported a lack of alcohol-focused drowning prevention or water safety education for their age group, and many referred to their upbringing and parents’ behaviors as reference for what was safe. Drowning prevention practitioners should consider these results to ensure young adults understand the risks of consuming alcohol in all aquatic contexts. © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Respecting alcohol, respecting the water : young adult perspectives on how to reduce alcohol-influenced drownings in Australia
- Authors: Calverley, Hannah , Petrass, Lauren , Blitvich, Jennifer
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Health Promotion Journal of Australia Vol. 32, no. S2 (2021), p. 218-228
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- Description: Issue addressed: Alcohol-influenced drowning among young Australians (aged 18-24 years) is a prominent health concern. However, effectiveness of targeted prevention campaigns for this age group is unknown, as this information is not typically published in peer-reviewed or easily accessed grey literature. Accordingly, future campaigns cannot build on prior efforts to address this health problem. Methods: Semi-structured interviews ascertained young Australian adults’ perspectives on preventing alcohol consumption in aquatic settings, and their awareness of appropriate safety strategies and Australian national and state drowning prevention campaigns. Discussions were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed using an interpretative phenomenological approach. Results: Twenty-three individuals (mean age 20.65 years) participated in an interview. Participants had poor understanding of alcohol-focused drowning prevention campaigns and used logos and names to decipher key campaign messages. Education was recommended as the preferred method for prevention, and participants suggested preferences for delivery (eg social media, in schools, humour and shock tactics). The safety strategies discussed appeared to be transferred from strategies used in other contexts, rather than related to the specific risks of aquatic scenarios. Conclusions: Drowning prevention practitioners should ensure transparency and clarity of their campaign names and logos to enhance understanding of the messages. Practitioners should also consider using audience analysis during campaign design, delivery and evaluation, alongside best practice recommendations from literature, to enhance campaign suitability and effectiveness. So what?: Water safety practitioners and policy makers should acknowledge these findings when developing campaigns which address young adults’ lack of awareness of safe aquatic behaviours to encourage a sustained behaviour change. © 2020 Australian Health Promotion Association.
“They don't think it will ever happen to them” : exploring factors affecting participation in alcohol-influenced aquatic activity among young Australian adults
- Authors: Calverley, Hannah , Petrass, Lauren , Blitvich, Jennifer
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Health Promotion Journal of Australia Vol. 32, no. S2 (2021), p. 229-237
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- Description: Issue addressed: Young adults are over-represented in alcohol-related drownings in high-income countries; however, little research has investigated their behaviours and decision-making to inform prevention efforts. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 young Australian adults (aged 18-24 years). Questions, informed by previous research, inquired about behavioural practices in aquatic contexts and influences on involvement in alcohol-influenced aquatic activity. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. Thematic and interpretative phenomenological analysis followed. Results: Two main themes: personal and contextual awareness, and the impact of other people affected perceptions and involvement in alcohol-influenced aquatic activity. Perceived control of situations and self-confidence affected how these influences impacted individuals’ involvement. Participants acknowledged some young adults likely overestimate their aquatic abilities. This awareness was not discussed in relation to their own capabilities. Conclusion: Drowning prevention efforts should inform young adults of the dangers of combining alcohol and aquatic activities, and make risks appear more immediate and applicable. Consideration should be given to measuring both perceived and actual aquatic abilities within various aquatic environments, to determine whether self-reported perceived competence is an accurate proxy measure for actual aquatic ability. The influence of alcohol should also be highlighted. Steps are required for a positive shift in Australian norms of alcohol use in aquatic settings and the social and cultural attitudes towards this. So what?: This study provides new insight into young adults’ perceptions and involvement in alcohol-influenced aquatic activity. It enhances the evidence base for drowning prevention and health promotion practitioners and should inform more focused campaigns to prevent alcohol-related drownings among young Australian adults. © 2021 Australian Health Promotion Association
Alcohol_focused drowning prevention campaigns : what do we know and what should we do now?
- Authors: Calverley, Hannah , Petrass, Lauren , Blitvich, Jennifer
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education Vol. 12, no. 2 (2020), p.
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- Description: Alcohol and drugs have been identified as key risk factors for youth (aged 15-24 years) and adult drownings in high-income countries (HIC). Whilst alcohol specific drowning prevention education programs have been developed and implemented, youth continue to be over-represented in drowning statistics, including those linked with alcohol. Therefore, this project aimed to: (i) review and assess all alcohol themed drowning prevention campaigns within HICs; (ii) determine whether the campaign had undergone evaluation for effectiveness; and (iii) provide recommendations to improve the effectiveness of future interventions. For each of the eighty-one HICs identified for the 2019 fiscal year, searches of peer-reviewed literature (through academic databases) and grey literature (through webpages and emails to organisations) were conducted. Twelve alcohol focused campaigns were identified, with only two providing limited information about program evaluation. For most campaigns identified, there was a dearth of information available and therefore assessment of campaign quality was unfeasible. This brief report highlights a lack of alcohol themed drowning prevention campaigns in HIC, and an absence of evaluations on their effectiveness. Implications associated with a lack of program evaluation are discussed and adoption of the recommendations from this brief report should enhance the quality of future research in this area. © 2020 Human Kinetics Publishers Inc.. All rights reserved.
Examining group differences in emotion regulation strategies and the state and trait anxiety of lifeguards and non-lifeguards in a real-world precompetitive situation
- Authors: Calverley, Hannah , Davis, Paul , Harvey, Jack , Mesagno, Christopher
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education Vol. 12, no. 2 (2020), p.
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- Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate differences, between swimmer-lifeguards and swimmer-non-lifeguards, in trait and state anxiety and emotion regulation techniques in a real-life precompetitive situation with a secondary focus on gender differences. The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Sport Anxiety Scale - 2 and the Mental Readiness Form - 3 were distributed to 100 participants at university swimming competitions in the United Kingdom. Swimmer-lifeguards displayed significantly lower cognitive (p=.03) and somatic state (p=.05) anxiety and cognitive trait anxiety (p=.02) than swimmer-non-lifeguards. Males reported significantly lower levels of cognitive and somatic trait anxiety (p<.01) than females. There was also a gender-group interaction, with male swimmer-lifeguards showing significantly lower somatic trait anxiety than the other groups (p<.03). Males indicated significantly greater use of reappraisal than females (p=.01); no other effects were observed. These results support previous research regarding lifeguard characteristics, however the nature of these qualities and how they originate require further exploration. © 2020 Human Kinetics Publishers Inc.. All rights reserved.