Carnarvon partysafe project

  • Research program: Prevention and early intervention
  • Project status: Completed
  • Start date: November 1998
  • Expected end date: April 2001
  • Completion date: November 2010
  • Funded by: Healthway
  • Lead organisation:

Partysafe was a community mobilisation project, conducted in the remote Northwest town of Carnarvon in Western Australia over a period of 18 months. The initial goal of was to reduce alcohol-related harm associated with drinking in private settings. However, subsequent to the pre-intervention community survey, greater emphasis was placed on influencing males in the age range 25-45 years, because of the high risk drinking behaviour identified in this group. The intervention comprised a number of components, including local media advertising and advocacy; participation in high profile community collaborative campaigns and use of a peer character cartoon strip to highlight alcohol issues and model behaviour change. On completion of the intervention phase, process and impact data were gathered from a number of community sources. The major impact of the Partysafe projectt was heightened awareness of alcohol issues in the community. The project also contributed in a major way to institutionalising a collaborative Christmas alcohol harm prevention campaign. Use of local media content was particularly effective in raising community awareness as to the project’s message and garnering support for its aims

Name & Contact Details Role Research Program Location
  • Chief Investigator: Richard Midford, Curtin University
  • Chief Investigator: Kevin Boots,
  • Project staff: Martin Cooper, Curtin University
  • Project staff: Julie-Anne Jaeger, Curtin University

This project aligns with the following Sustainable Development Goals and Targets:

Midford, R. and Cooper, M., G. (2004). The Party Safe Project - How local people can work together for health improvements in a country town. Healthway News, (36). pp. 12-13. [UJ120]

Cooper, M., G., Midford, R., Jaeger, J. and Hall, C. (2003). Reforming Andy Capp? How a Cartoon Character was Used in a Community Alcohol Project. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 14, (2), pp. 114-118. [RJ421] Abstract

Midford, R., Cooper, M., G. and Jaeger, J. (2003). The Partysafe project: Working with an Australian rural community to reduce alcohol harm. Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 20, pp. 69-80. doi:10.1177/145507250302001S21 [RJ417] View web page

Cooper, M., G., Midford, R., Jaeger, J. and Hall, C. (2001). Partysafe Evaluation Report. National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia. [T112]