Reducing the harm from adolescent alcohol consumption: results from an adapted version of SHAHRP in Northern Ireland

Abstract

Background: The study aimed to trial an adapted version of the School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project (SHAHRP) in Northern Ireland. The intervention aims to enhance alcohol-related knowledge, create more healthy alcohol-related attitudes and reduce alcohol-related harms in 14–16-year-olds.

Method: A non-randomised control longitudinal design with intervention and control groups assessed students at baseline and 12, 24 and 32 months after baseline. Students were from post-primary schools (high schools) in the Eastern Health Board Area in Northern Ireland. Two thousand three hundred and forty nine participants were recruited at baseline (mean age 13.84) with an attrition rate of 12.8%% at 32-month follow-up. The intervention was an adapted, culturally competent version of SHAHRP, a curriculum programme delivered in two consecutive academic years, with an explicit harm reduction goal. Knowledge, attitudes, alcohol consumption, context of use, harm associated with own alcohol use and the alcohol use of other people were assessed at all time points.

Results: There were significant intervention effects on all measures (intervention vs. controls) with differential effects observed for teacher-delivered and outside facilitator-delivered SHAHRP.

Conclusion: The study provides evidence of the cultural applicability of a harm reduction intervention (SHAHRP) for risky drinking in adolescents in a UK context.

• Adolescent
• alcohol
• harm reduction

Acknowledgements

We thank the Eastern Drug and Alcohol Coordination Team and in particular Owen O’Neill for supporting this work. Additionally, we thank participating schools and the Health Education coordinators in those schools. Finally, we thank the following individuals and agencies for assisting in project design, delivery and data processing: Emma Milligan, Gill Crouch, Pauline McMullan & Nicola Ballantyne (Lisburn YMCA); Piotr Sidor & Paul Francis (CEWCNI); Noleen Donnelly (Youthcom); Angie Smith & Lisa Jenkins (Dunlewey SAC).

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Notes

1. The external facilitators were local drug and alcohol educators employed by four voluntary sector organisations, and funded as part of the Northern Ireland Strategy on Drugs and Alcohol, but not specifically for delivery of this project.