A co-produced cultural approach to workplace alcohol interventions: barriers and facilitators

Abstract

Background: There is increasing recognition that the workplace holds potential as an alcohol prevention/intervention setting. However, few robust studies of workplace interventions have been conducted. Research to-date has yielded mixed results. The current study aimed to address this knowledge gap by undertaking a process evaluation of the Workplace Alcohol Harm Reduction Project (WRAHP), a co-produced workplace alcohol intervention.

Methods: A process evaluation was embedded within the WRAHP intervention trial. It included site visits (n = 41), site observations (N = 8) and on-site semi-structured key informant interviews (N = 50), conducted over the 3-year evaluation period.

Results: A ‘whole-of-workplace’ plus a ‘co-production’ approach during intervention development and implementation contributed to uptake and sustainability. Seven potential barriers or facilitators emerged: (i) attitudes toward alcohol in the workplace, (ii) policy development and awareness, (iii) referral pathways and access to support, (iv) participation and equity: production pressure, (v) participation and equity: language barriers, (vi) communication and (vii) sustainability of the intervention.

Conclusions: Embedding a tailored alcohol intervention within a ‘worker-wellbeing’ framework promoted acceptance. This approach enabled barriers to be addressed whilst identifying facilitators of success. These results add to a growing evidence base regarding the value of interventions that target alcohol and support replication of similar co-produced interventions in other workplace settings.

Keywords:

• Process evaluation
• alcohol
• male-dominated workplace
• co-production
• whole-of-workplace
• intervention

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank VicHealth for funding this project and their ongoing support for the duration. A very special thanks to Sandra George, City of Greater Dandenong, South East Business Network for making this project possible without her support it would never have happened. We are extremely grateful to all four manufacturing workplaces for participating in our study, but especially the intervention sites for their enthusiastic participation and commitment to WRAHP.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by VicHealth. The authors do not receive direct or indirect funding or have any connection with the tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceutical or gaming industries or anybody substantially funded by one of these organisations.