Evaluating a school-based alcohol program: the WARP experience

The Western Alcohol Reduction Program (WARP) is a community designed and lead, secondary school-based, program that seeks to address issues related to alcohol use by young people in the Melbourne western metropolitan region. Taking a whole-of community approach, the program consisted of six programs for a class of 20 students from schools in western Melbourne. The program sought to highlight negative influences of alcohol on life outcomes, and addresses the issues of alcohol-related behaviour in assaults, injuries and preventable consequences of risk-taking behaviour. The findings of this evaluation suggest that students have modified some of their drinking behaviours over the program, have modified some of their risky behaviours and have increased their knowledge in some areas. This program, designed specifically to meet the needs of the local school and students, has the potential to increase the alcohol- and drug-related knowledge of students, while also having a positive impact on alcohol-related behaviours.

Examining the prevalence of type-D personality in an Australian population

© 2015 The Australian Psychological Society. Objective: Type-D personality is a construct that describes a tendency to simultaneously experience negative emotions and inhibit self-expression for fear of negative social judgement. The link between type-D and poor health outcomes may be partly mediated by two prominent psychosocial mechanisms, poor-quality health-related behaviour and poor perceived-social support. Method: The present study replicated and extended a 2008 UK and Irish prevalence study, utilising a sample from the Australian general population. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between type-D personality and subjective levels of social support, health-related behaviours and neuroticism, as well as examining the estimated prevalence rate of type-D in the general Australian population. Nine hundred and fifty five Australian participants over the age of 18 (194 male and 761 female) completed four measures assessing levels of type-D personality, quality of health-related behaviours, perceived-social support and neuroticism. Results: As hypothesised, the estimated prevalence rate was not found to be significantly different from the rate obtained by Williams etal. (2008). In addition, type-D individuals reported significantly lower perceived-social support and poorer-quality health behaviours than non-type-D individuals. Conclusions: The results of this study provide further support for the association of type-D personality with poor health-related behaviours and poor perceived-social support, as well as demonstrating the applicability of the type-D construct to the Australian general population for the first time. General healthcare applications are discussed, as well as the potential for type-D personality research to influence public illness prevention in general.

The density of alcohol outlets and adolescent alcohol consumption: an Australian longitudinal analysis

 Higher density of alcohol outlets has been linked to increased levels of adolescent alcohol-related behaviour. Research to date has been cross-sectional. A longitudinal design using two waves of annual survey data from the Australian arm of the International Youth Development Study was used. The sample comprised 2835 individuals with average age at wave 2 of 14 years (SD=1.67; range=11–17 years). GSEM was used to examine how absolute levels of alcohol outlet density was associated with student-reported alcohol use one year later, while controlling for prior alcohol use, risk factors at wave one and changes in density over the 2 years. Adolescents' perception of alcohol availability and friends' alcohol use were tested as potential mediators of the association between alcohol outlet density and adolescent alcohol use. Elasticity modelling identified a 10% increase in overall density at wave one was associated with an approximately 17% increase in odds of adolescent alcohol consumption at wave two. Living in areas with a higher density of outlets was associated with a statistically significant increase in the likelihood of adolescents developing early age alcohol consumption.

Community perceptions of orangutan conservation and palm oil in Melbourne, Australia

This study examined Greater Melbourne residents’ perspectives toward orangutan conservation through a mixed mode survey method, using postal surveys (N = 108, response rate = 11.8%) and telephone interviews (N = 50, response rate = 51%). Differences were found between knowledge levels about orangutans, attitudes towards orangutans and behavioural intentions. It appears probable that when an individual is educated about how human beings impact orangutans and holds positive attitudes towards them, most would try to reduce their impact.

A revised Australian dietary guideline index and its association with key sociodemographic factors, health behaviors and body mass index in peri-retirement aged adults

The Dietary Guideline Index, a measure of diet quality, was updated to reflect the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines. This paper describes the revision of the index (DGI-2013) and examines its use in older adults. The DGI-2013 consists of 13 components reflecting food-based daily intake recommendations of the Australian Dietary Guidelines. In this cross-sectional study, the DGI-2013 score was calculated using dietary data collected via an 111-item food frequency questionnaire and additional food-related behaviour questions. The DGI-2013 score was examined in Australian adults (aged 55-65 years; n = 1667 men; 1801 women) according to sociodemographics, health-related behaviours and BMI. Women scored higher than men on the total DGI-2013 and all components except for dairy. Those who were from a rural area (men only), working full-time (men only), with lower education, smoked, did not meet physical activity guidelines, and who had a higher BMI, scored lower on the DGI-2013, highlighting a group of older adults at risk of poor health. The DGI-2013 is a tool for assessing compliance with the Australian Dietary Guidelines. We demonstrated associations between diet quality and a range of participant characteristics, consistent with previous literature. This suggests that the DGI-2013 continues to demonstrate convergent validity, consistent with the original Dietary Guideline Index.

Next steps in the logic of consumer-led self-management : translating chronic condition self-management programmes (CCSM) into lifestyle management programmes for young people

The techniques applied in chronic condition self-management programmes (CCSM) to support patients with chronic conditions are basic counselling and communication strategies that would benefit people at all stages of life and wellness. The question being explored here is why, as a society, we wait until people develop essentially preventable chronic conditions before helping them to develop the life skills they need to manage their lives and their human interactions better rather than working to avoid or prevent many chronic conditions that develop as a result of people lacking such skills? If we were to teach coping and managing skills to everyone in a supportive and structured way, using the peer-led teaching and learning strategies and basic counselling and education processes that have been shown to be successful for other older groups with chronic illness, the overall population impact would be more significant. Therefore why wait until people have chronic conditions before empowering them with basic life management techniques? Do people need to be sick before they can be motivated to live more effective lives? Is sickness the main stimulus for triggering health-related behaviour change or can other factors in people’s lives serve to inform and motivate lifestyle change?

Translating chronic condition self-management programmes (CCSM) into lifestyle management programmes for young people

The techniques applied in chronic condition self-management programmes (CCSM) to support patients with chronic conditions are basic counselling and communication strategies that would benefit people at all stages of life and wellness. The question being explored here is why, as a society, we wait until people develop essentially preventable chronic conditions before helping them to develop the life skills they need to manage their lives and their human interactions better rather than working to avoid or prevent many chronic conditions that develop as a result of people lacking such skills? If we were to teach coping and managing skills to everyone in a supportive and structured way, using the peer-led teaching and learning strategies and basic counselling and education processes that have been shown to be successful for other older groups with chronic illness, the overall population impact would be more significant. Therefore why wait until people have chronic conditions before empowering them with basic life management techniques? Do people need to be sick before they can be motivated to live more effective lives? Is sickness the main stimulus for triggering health-related behaviour change or can other factors in people's lives serve to inform and motivate lifestyle change.

Have adults lost their sense of play? An observational study of the social dynamics of physical (in)activity in German and Hawaiian leisure settings

BACKGROUND: Physical inactivity is one of the biggest health problems nowadays. Recent research shows that socio-cultural barriers to physical activity are mostly related to modern lifestyles. However, there is a lack of research on how social and group dynamics influence engagement in physical activity. Furthermore, there are few cross-cultural studies that have compared the social dynamics of (in)activity in different cultural settings. This paper therefore aims to analyse how social group dynamics influence physical activity and inactivity in informal social environments and whether physical activity is influenced by the socio-cultural settings. METHODS: The paper presents the qualitative data collected within a covert participant observation study. Data was collected by keeping observational notes in order to record typical, regular patterns regarding physical (in)activity related behaviour of groups at an artificial open air swimming pool in Germany and a natural pond in Hawai'i. The data collection period was eight and a half months. Data was interpreted based on constant comparative analysis in order to identify most generative patterns in the field notes. RESULTS: Group structures appear to play a significant role regarding the activity of the group members. In this study, we identified four key factors that influence group based physical activity: 1) Physical activity seems to be a group disturbing behaviour particularly in larger groups of adults; 2) Physical activity appears to be more functional and less joyful in adults than in children; 3) Group activity is influenced by (in)activity anchors, including 'domestication' of a group's site, obesity, and controlling parents. 4) Physical activity is to a certain extent socially contagious, particularly with regard to playful activities. CONCLUSIONS: Successful promotion of physical activity should target the social structures of inactive individuals' groups. In this regard, one of the main problems is that fun and wellbeing, as very important targets of public health strategies for the adult population, appear not to be compatible with physical activity. Developing strategies to reframe physical activity rather as 'fun' and less as functional may be one way to engage inactive individuals in physical activity in leisure settings.

Transition, school, friends and obesity risk models (the TranSFORM study)

The TranSFORM study demonstrated the impact that a change of school environment has on physical activity, sedentary and dietary behaviour in late childhood. Results provide strong evidence of the influence of friendship networks, and the potential for changing and reinforcing positive weight related behaviour in early adolescence.

Transferring goodwill : are positive attitudes towards the event related to positive results for the sponsor?

The transfer of positive brand image from the sponsored event to the sponsor is now one of the main reasons cited for engaging in event sponsorship activity. Beyond just simple brand associations though, it has been recognised that patrons often feel "goodwill" towards certain sponsored events and these feelings could also be transferred to enhance sponsorship outcomes. This paper reports on an email survey of over 300 patrons of a non-profit Arts Festival, examining whether "goodwill" can influence sponsorship effectiveness. Specifically, the focus here is on the relationship between positive attitudes toward the event and sponsorship outcomes. The findings suggest that satisfaction with the event is correlated positively with sponsor recall but not recognition. Those with higher degrees of "goodwill" towards the event did have more positive attitudes towards the sponsor and were more likely to recall and recognise sponsors correctly.

Modelling general and carbon related environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviour

Using the theory of reasoned action, this study proposes a structural equation model that tests the relationships among carbon and environmental knowledge, attitude and behaviour. We found that carbon related knowledge is unrelated to attitudes, but general environmental attitudes drive both general and carbon related behaviours. The results suggest that specific environmental behaviour may therefore be more driven by general attitudes and knowledge, rather than by issue specific knowledge.

The impact of general and carbon-related environmental knowledge on attitudes and behaviour of US consumers

Global warming and carbon emissions have gained international attention. However, it would appear that consumers are still unclear about what it encompasses and how it relates to their individual behaviour. Using the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) as a guiding framework, this study presents a structural equation model that tests the relationships between carbon and environmental knowledge, environmental attitude and behaviour using a sample of US consumers. The findings of the research suggest that a positive relationship was found between general and carbon-specific knowledge, attitude towards the environment, and general and carbon-specific behaviours. Therefore, general and carbon-specific environmental behaviours are related and may be driven by general attitudes and knowledge (i.e. both carbon-specific and general environmental knowledge). The implications of the study would suggest that marketers, working in tandem with government policymakers, need to focus efforts on developing consumers’ knowledge about specific sub-issues, such as global warming. However, additional research needs to be undertaken to develop marketing communication that accurately reflects the environmental impact of consumption behaviour, thereby allowing for considered consumption.

What do we know about preventing drug-related harm through social developmental intervention with children and young people

This chapter examines the evidence for the effectiveness of interventions aiming to reduce drug-related harm by improving conditions for healthy develeopment in the earliest years through adolescence. Of the interventions beginning prior to birth, there is efficacy evidence that family home visitation is a feasible strategy for implementation with disadvataged families and can reduce risk factors for early developmental deficits and thereby improve childhood development outcomes. There is efficacy evidence for strategies such as parent education and school preparation through the pre-school age period. Some of the strongest evidence for efficacy in reducing developmental pathways to drug-related harm comes from interventions delivered through the early school years to improve educational environments. Of the interventions targeting the high school age period, school drug education has been the most commonly evaluated. The evidence suggests that short term reduction in both drug use and progression to frequent drug use may be achievable through this strategy, but the prospects for longer-term and population-level behaviour change is still unclear. In overview, a range of prevention strategies have been developed and evaluated. Most of the exisiting evidence is restricted to efficacy studies and there are future challenges to progress evaluation through to studies of effectiveness. In general, prevention programmes appear more successful where they maintain intervention activities over a number of years and incorporate more than one strategy. Much of the existing research has been based in North America and evaluates discrete programmes. Future research should test effects in other countries, in different social contexts and seek to better understand the interrelated effects of combining interventions within the community. Developmental prevention programmes target different age periods and social settings, hence communities have the challenge of coordinating a mixture of programmes that address the local conditions that adversely influence child and youth development. There are opportunities in this work to coordinate prevention activities using funding from different jurisdictions (e.g., crime prevention, health promotion, mental health, education, substance abuse prevention).