DrinkThink Evaluation
Research type
Research Study
Full title
DrinkThink: Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for Young People in Youth, Social Service, and Healthcare Settings – a Mixed Method Evaluation and Intervention Development Study
IRAS ID
165553
Contact name
Matthew Hickman
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 9 months, 0 days
Research summary
Young people in the United Kingdom (UK) report some of the highest rates of hazardous drinking in Europe. Public health advice not to consume alcohol before 15 years and to drink below recommended rates, if at all, between the ages of 15 and 17 years, is ignored. Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention (ASBI) has been shown to be a successful intervention for adults in primary care and accident and emergency (A&E) settings. However, to date, there is a lack of evidence generally on the effectiveness of ASBI delivered to young people aged less than 18 years and outside of clinical settings. Project 28, a young person’s substance misuse service, has been running the DrinkThink initiative since 2009 in Bath and North East Somerset (BANES). DrinkThink comprises three components; 1) training of professionals to deliver ASBI in their workplaces, 2) delivery of ASBI to young people in a range of settings, and 3) follow-up/referral to young person’s substance misuse services.
We aim to compile evidence on the potential effectiveness of the DrinkThink intervention, both at (a) reducing the quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption among young people at 6 weeks and 6 months post-intervention; and (b) at training health care and non-health care workers engaged with young people to undertake alcohol screening and brief intervention.
We will undertake a mixed-methods study, following Medical Research Council (MRC) guidance on the evaluation of complex interventions. The evaluation components will include: (a) an online questionnaire to enhance monitoring of alcohol outcomes among young people, (b) focus groups with professionals from organisations in social service, youth service, and healthcare settings, (c) focus groups with young people aged 15-19 years who use the service, and (d) micro-costing and resource use questionnaires to estimate the cost of the intervention and the broader economic impact of excessive drinking.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
15/IEC08/0018
Date of REC Opinion
14 May 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion