Cessation of alcohol use among middle school teenagers

This document discusses the issue of alcohol abuse among middle school teenagers in Australia and proposes a health promotion program to promote cessation of alcohol use. It includes information on the target group, aims of the program, stakeholders, and evaluation proposal.

Public Health Promotion Project
Due date:Week 8: Monday (midnight Darwin time)
Student Name:
Student Number:
Health Promotion Title
‘Cessation of alcohol use among middle school teenagers belonging to the age
group of 14 to 17 years.’
Introduction
Alcohol abuse has emerged out to be a primary concern in Australia. The concern of
alcohol consumption in Australia is associated with a number of social as well as cultural
activities. However, it should be noted in this regard that excessive consumption of alcohol
could lead to major health issues which could trigger the risk of developing chronic
diseases, injuries or even premature death. Statistical report reveals that 1 in every 6
individuals consume alcohol at a level that places them at a high risk of developing a serious
injury related to alcohol disorder. In addition to this, the report published by
Betterhealth.vic.gov.au (2019), indicated that 22% of Australians aged 14 have been
reported to be victims of accidents related to alcohol abuse (Australian Institute of Health
and Welfare, 2019). Studies further suggest that in recent times, alcohol is being consumed
by a overwhelming proportion of young teenagers (Australian Institute of Health and
Welfare, 2019; Betterhealth.vic.gov.au, 2019). It should be noted in this context that alcohol
consumption could lead to problems such as binge drinking, unsafe sex as well as drink
driving. Statistical evidence reveal that approximately 6.4% of the secondary school
students in Australia drank more than four drinks of alcohol in a day. As stated by Lam et al.
(2017), teenagers are at a greater risk of suffering from alcohol related injuries in
comparison to adults. As the process of brain development continues into the mid-twenties,
consuming alcohol could trigger problems related to proper development of the brain. Also,
teenagers are placed at a high risk of consuming more alcohol in comparison to adults. In
this context, it should be noted that consumption of a heavy amount of alcohol (more than
four standard drink) for the purpose of getting drunk is referred to as binge drinking. Also,
some of the common physical health symptoms associated with binge drinking includes
problems such as hangovers, nausea and vomiting, shakiness, lack of proper concentration
and focus and headaches (McLoughlin et al., 2015). Further, binge drinking also leads to
short term as well as long term illness issues, which includes involving in a high risk
situation or indulging in unsafe sex, which could lead to poorer health outcome. It should
also be noted in this context that 32% of the total treatment episodes in Australia cover
treatment for alcohol abuse and rehabilitation (Betterhealth.vic.gov.au, 2019). Therefore, on
the basis of the acquired background information, it can be said that alcohol abuse among
teenagers is a primary physical health concern in Australia.
Health Promotion and Target Group outline
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On the basis of the background information and statistical figures, it can be mentioned that
the teenagers irrespective of the sex groups are at a higher risk of developing disorders
related to alcohol abuse (McLoughlin et al., 2015; Lam et al., 2017). Therefore, the health
promotion program would specifically target the teenagers aged between 14 to 17 years.
The promotion program would take place in Williamstown High School, Victoria. The
rationale for conducting the health promotion program in Australia can be explained as the
highest incidence rate of alcohol abuse in Victoria, equivalent to 16.12%
(Betterhealth.vic.gov.au, 2019). In accordance to the statistics, Victoria was chosen as the
location of the program and Williamstown High school was chosen as the place where the
program would be conducted.
Health Promotion Aims
The aims of the health promotion program can be enlisted as the following:
 To educate and disseminate awareness about alcohol abuse and its negative
implication on health
 To conduct counseling and promote cessation of alcohol consumption among the
target audience
 To promote healthy lifestyle changes and foster a shift from alcohol consumption to
healthier beverages.
Therefore, on the basis of the health promotion aims, the following SMART objectives
can be deduced:
Specific To promote cessation of alcohol
consumption among teenagers aged 14 to
17 years
Measurable A daily track would be maintained of the
drinking pattern
Achievable Through education and empowerment
Relevant Yes. Giving away rewards on the basis of
daily tracking would help in keeping the
participants motivated to abstain from
alcohol consumption
Time-Oriented Within 2 weeks
Health Promotion prevention management perspective (primary, secondary or
tertiary)
According to Bryme et al. (2016), health promotion program flourishes the best when the
program is designed in manner that it exhibits advocacy for health. It should be noted in this
context that advocacy for health is a combination of individual as well as social actions that
are tailored to acquire political commitment, policy support, systems support as well as
social acceptance for a particular health goal or a program. Subsequently, the second
strategy that determines the success rate or effectiveness of the promotion program can be
defined as mediation. Mediation in the process of health promotion can be defined as a
combination of personal, social or economic interests of individuals as well as communities
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and other sectors that are convinced to believe that a particular shift from the present
lifestyle could yield healthier outcome (Sharma, 2016). The third important aspect that
determines the effectiveness of a health promotion program can be explained as the
component of enabling. In order to conduct a health promotion program, it is extremely
important to adapt action in collaboration with the target audience so as to empower them
and motivate them in order to ensure prevention of their health and promotion of healthier
outcome (Sallis et al., 2015). In close association with the discussed promotional strategies
the primary health promotion perspective would be to disseminate awareness among the
target audience about the negative implication of alcohol abuse on physical health (Salazar
et al., 2015). The secondary health promotion perspective would be to administer
counseling and reinforce a shift in the lifestyle choices of the target audience so as to
ensure cessation of alcohol consumption. The tertiary perspective would be to ensure that
the participants do not relapse their dependence on alcohol abuse and are able to sustain
the lifestyle changes throughout in order to manage a healthy living.
Stakeholders and community consultation
The stakeholders involved in the promotion program would comprise of a group of primary,
secondary as well as tertiary stakeholders. According to Eldredge et al. (2016), a
stakeholder can be defined as an individual or a group of individuals who is directly affected
by the project outcome. Stakeholders are either directly or indirectly involved in the project
and have an interest in the success of the project either by sponsoring the project or being
an integral part of the project (Mosadeghrad, 2014). For the proposed health promotion
program, the primary stakeholders would comprise of the researcher, the target audience as
well as the team of professionals directly involved with the implementation and functioning of
the promotional program. The secondary stakeholder would comprise of the school
authorities who would be contacted for conducting the awareness program. In addition to
this, the secondary stakeholder would also comprise of the sponsors of the promotion
program. Further, the tertiary stakeholders would comprise of the parents as well as the
friends or neighbors of the recruited participants who would be involved in the promotional
campaign.
Health Message/Logo
According to Salazar et al. (2015), the success of a health promotion program is heavily
depended upon a high-impact phrase or a health message. Technically a short and high-
impact phrase acquires the attention of the individuals and their probability to enroll and
participate in the program increases to a significant extent. In this case, the heath message
for the health promotion program would comprise of the phrase: “Quit alcohol for a
healthier life!”
Health Promotion Activity Description
The outline of the health promotion program would first comprise of planning and
designing the objectives of the program. In the next stage, the school would be contacted by
the researcher through email. The email would comprise of the objectives as well as the
details of the promotional program. In addition to this, it would also contain the proposed
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time-frame in which the promotion program would be conducted. Upon receiving a response
from the school, the researcher would meet the principle and the board of directors of the
school in person and present a power point slide which would brief the aim, objective as well
as the purpose of the promotional activity. Also, the researcher would clarify the doubts of
the authority if any and request for an approval. In order to seek an approval, the researcher
would present the authorities with an ethical consent form. Upon seeking approval, the
researcher would obtain the signed ethical form from the authorities. After seeking approval,
posters about the promotion program would be displayed within the school premise where a
registration email ID would be mentioned where interested participants would showcase
their interest. In addition to this, during the morning assembly, the students would be made
aware about the health promotion program. Upon obtaining a total of 10 responses from the
students, the program would be commenced.
The program would be conducted by a team of professionals which would include the
researcher who would be managing documentation and analysis, two community nurses
who would impart education and awareness related to alcohol consumption and at the same
time teach about healthy lifestyle changes that could help the students in giving up alcohol
consumption. Further, a psychotherapist would also be involved in the promotion program
who would counsel the students and motivate them to give up alcohol for a healthier life.
The program would be conducted twice for a 2 hour duration and would continue for 2
weeks. The program would be divided into sessions, the first would comprise of the
community nurses educating the students about the harmful implication of alcohol abuse
among the students. The second session would comprise of the counselor counseling the
students and motivating them to make healthier choices. After, the completion of the
program, a semi-structured interview would be conducted with the participants and the
responses would be analyzed in order to develop an understanding about the preferences of
the participants and the effectiveness of the program after its completion.
Health Promotion Evaluation Proposal
The effectiveness of the program would be evaluated on the basis of the in the interview
responses collected from the participants who would be recruited to participate in the
promotion program. In addition to this, the participants would be contacted after a month in a
follow up call and the responses would be recorded which would then be evaluated on the
base of thematic analysis. The analysis of the recorded responses would help in estimating
the effectiveness of the program and at the same time would also help in determining
whether or not the promotion program could motivate the participants to make positive
changes in their lifestyle (Byme et al., 2016). At the same time, the work process of the
promotion program would be monitored on the basis of key performance indicators which
would comprise of evaluation components such as attendance, productivity and
performance (Sallis et al., 2015). It can be expected that they key performance indicators
would help in determining the success rate of the program. At the same time, the evaluation
of the program would help in deciding that whether or not certain amendments need to be
made in the program so as to achieve better results and better outcome.
Conclusion
Therefore, to conclude it can be mentioned that the research broadly comprises of
conducting a health promotion program so as to ensure alcohol cessation among the
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teenagers. The satistical facts and figure suggest that alcohol abuse is a major issue among
the teenagers. It should be noted that alcohol consumption encourages problems such as
binge drinking which leads to a number of health issues such as cardiovascular disorders or
poor development. In addition to this, statistical figures further reveal that alcohol abuse is
the major treated issue in Australia among the age group of 14 to 17 years. This accounts
for the reason why the target audience was chosen as students aged between 14 to 17
years. Also, epidemiological reports suggested that the problem of alcohol abuse was the
highest in Victoria and that accounts for the reason why Williamstown High school was
chosen as the research setting. The researcher would officially contact the school
authorities through email and then present a power point presentation to offer an overview
about the purpose and the objectives of the research. Upon seeking approval from the
school authorities, the program would be commenced which would take place for a period of
2 weeks. The program would be conducted by a team of healthcare professionals which
would comprise of two community nurses, one psychologist and the researcher. The
program would typically make use of education and awareness to motivate the participants
to make lifestyle changes so as to achieve positive health outcome.
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