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School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project (SHAHRP)

  • Research program: Prevention and early intervention
  • Project status: Completed
  • Start date: January 1996
  • Expected end date: August 2001
  • Completion date: September 2003
  • Funded by: Healthway
  • Lead organisation:
Project Description

The School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project (SHAHRP study) was a longitudinal intervention research study that uses evidence-based, classroom alcohol education lessons to reduce alcohol-related harm in young people. The critical evidence-based features of the SHAHRP intervention were drawn from a range of health and drug education program and research literature, and in particular, published evaluation studie and research that demonstrated some potential for behaviour change in the target population. The SHAHRP study was a harm minimisation study. It combined thirteen harm minimisation classroom lessons, over a two year period, with longitudinal measures of alcohol-related harm to assess change in the study students alcohol-related experiences. The SHAHRP lessons assisted students by enhancing their ability to identify and use strategies that would reduce the potential for harm in drinking situations and that would assist in reducing the impact of harm once it has occurred.

Over the period of the study (from baseline to final follow-up three years later), students who participated in the SHAHRP program had a 10% greater alcohol related knowledge, consumed 20% less alcohol, experienced 33% less harm associated with their own use of alcohol and 10% less harm associated with other peoples use of alcohol than did the control group. These findings are important given that school based drug education is often criticised for not impacting on young people's behaviour. In addition, the behavioural effect was maintained and/or increased up to one year after the final phase of the program. This suggests a latency effect of the program rather than a decaying of effect over time. These results indicate that a relatively brief classroom alcohol intervention, that has a basis in evidence, can produce change in young peoples alcohol related behaviours, particularly the harm associated with their own use of alcohol. Some of the key evidence based components seem to be: ensuring that lesson content and senarios are based on the experiences of young people, testing the intervention prior to implementation, offering booster sessions in subsequent years, providing interactive activities, providing teacher training and adopting a harm minimisation approach in both the intervention and in the measures of change.

PhD Student

Associate Professor Nyanda McBride
Associate Professor
Tel: 61 (0)8 9266 1600
n.mcbride@curtin.edu.au
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PhD Supervisors

Professor Tim Stockwell
Professor
Tel: 1 (250) 472-5305
timstock@uvic.ca
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NDRI Project Staff
Name & Contact Details Role Research Program Location
NDRI Adjunct Project Staff
External Project Staff
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Sustainable Development Goals and Targets

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

Related Publications

McBride, N. (2013). Australian National Preventative Health Agency development of a strategic research agenda to inform policies to prevent alcohol related harm in Australia. Invited expert review of public education, awareness and education. National Drug Research Institute, Perth, Western Australia. [R264]

McBride, N. (2013). The School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project (SHAHRP): having a behavioural impact on young peoples’ risky alcohol use and experiences of alcohol-related harm. Submission to the NSW Legislative Council's Standing Committee on Social Issues inquiry into strategies to reduce alcohol abuse among young people in NSW. National Drug Research Institute, Perth, Western Australia. [R259]

McBride, N. (2012). School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project. AIM 21st Anniversary Conference. AIM Digest Online: Conference supplement. [UP32]

McBride, N. (2012). SHAHRP Longitudinal Study and Beyond. In: Alcohol in Moderation 21st Birthday forum 'Alcohol Education what works for Young People?' Conference syllabus, 11, pp. 3-4. [UP36]

McBride, N. (2011). SHAHRP: Reducing alcohol related harm with young people. Background paper provided at the request of the Luke Adams Foundation. [UP30]

McBride, N. (2010). McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth and the SHAHRP study. Submission to McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth, October 2010. [R244]

McBride, N. (2010). School Alcohol Education. Directions in Education, 19/11, (9), pp. 3. [UJ167]

McBride, N. (2010). School alcohol education: What way forward? Directions in Education, 19/9, (11), pp. 4. [UJ163]

McBride, N., Farringdon, F. and Kennedy, C. (2007). Research to Practice - Formal Dissemination of the School Health Harm Reduction Project (SHAHRP) in Australia. Drug and Alcohol Review, 26, (6), pp. 665-672. doi:10.1080/09595230701613510 [RJ548] View web page

McBride, N., Farringdon, F., Meuleners, L. and Midford, R. (2006). The School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project. Details of Intervention Development and Research Procedures. National Drug Research Institute, Monograph., Perth, Western Australia. [M59] Abstract

McBride, N. (2005). The School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project. Public Health Bulletin South Australia (2nd ed), 2, pp. 14-16. [UJ129]

McBride, N. (2004). School drug education: A developing field and one element in a community approach to drugs and young people. Addiction, 99, (3), pp. 292-298. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2004.00681.x [RJ439] View web page

McBride, N. and Farringdon, F. (2004). School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project. Education and Health, 22, (2), pp. 19-23. [UJ117] Abstract

McBride, N. and Farringdon, F. (2004). School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project. Changing students alcohol related behaviours through classroom lessons. Education and Health, 22, (1). [UJ113]

McBride, N., Farringdon, F., Midford, R., Meuleners, L. and Philip, M. (2004). Harm Minimisation in School Drug Education. Final Results of the School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project (SHAHRP). Addiction, 99, pp. 278-291. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2003.00620.x [RJ393] View web page

McBride, N. (2003). A systematic review of school drug education. Health Education Research: Theory and Practice, 18, (6), pp. 729-742. doi:10.1093/her/cyf050 [RJ375] View web page

McBride, N., Farringdon, F., Midford, R., Meuleners, L. and Phillips, M. (2003). Early unsupervised drinking - reducing the risks. The School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project. Drug and Alcohol Review, 22, (3), pp. 263-276. doi:10.1080/0959523031000154409 [RJ394] View web page

McBride, N. (2002). Systematic literature review of school drug education. National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia. ISBN: 1 74067 188 0 [M40] Abstract

McBride, N., Farringdon, F. and Midford, R. (2002). Implementing a school drug education programme: Reflections on fidelity. International Journal of Health Promotion and Education, 40, (2), pp. 40-50. doi:10.1080/14635240.2002.10806196 [RJ344] View web page

McBride, N., Farringdon, F. and Midford, R. (2001). The School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project. Pushing Prevention seminar proceedings booklet. Australian Drug Foundation, Melbourne, Victoria. ISBN: 0 85809 070 8 [R129]

McBride, N., Midford, R. and Farringdon, F. (2000). Alcohol harm reduction education in schools: Planning an efficacy study in Australia. Drug and Alcohol Review, 19, (1), pp. 83-93. doi:10.1080/09595230096183 [RJ284] View web page

McBride, N., Midford, R., Farringdon, F. and Phillips, M. (2000). Early results from a school alcohol harm minimization study: the School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project. Addiction, 95, (7), pp. 1021-1042. doi:10.1046/j.1360-0443.2000.95710215.x [RJ300] View web page

Farringdon, F., McBride, N. and Midford, R. (1999). School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project: Formative development of intervention materials and processes. International Journal of Health Promotion & Education, 37, (4), pp. 137-143. doi:10.1080/14635240.1999.10806116 [RJ301] View web page