The role of parents in The role of parents in preventing alcohol misuse: an preventing alcohol misuse: an Evaluation of the Kids Adults Evaluation of the Kids Adults Together Programme (KAT)Together Programme (KAT)

Dr Jeremy SegrottDr Jeremy Segrott

Heather RothwellHeather Rothwell

Presentation outline

Background – young people and alcohol

Aims of the evaluation

Evaluation methods

KAT – background and aims

Analytical approach

Programme implementation

Acceptability

Initial impact

Discussion points

Concern about young people and alcohol – amount consumed; age of initiation

Range of health, social and educational impacts Recognition of the importance of protective and risk

factors located within the family Growing role of schools in substance misuse education Focus on harm reduction, involvement of parents and

targeting primary school children identified as important factors which increase effectiveness

Development of new programme by Gwent Police provided an important opportunity

IntroductionIntroduction

Aims of the evaluation

Evaluate development and early implementation of KAT

Establish the theoretical basis of the programme

Explore implementation processes and acceptability

Identify what the intended long term outcomes might be

Contribute to the evidence base in relation to alcohol misuse prevention programmes

Phase 1 examined programme’s development, theory and aims

Interviews with working group and documentary analysis

Phase 2 examined implementation

Observation of classroom preparation and fun evening

Focus groups with pupils

Interviews with working group, school staff and parents

Questionnaire to all parents who were invited to the fun evening

Methods

Background to KAT

Recognition of the need to involve parents in attempts to reduce alcohol misuse by young people

Australia Parents, Adults, Kids Together (PAKT) programme identified

Involves primary school children preparing for a ‘family forum’

PAKT had achieved high levels of engagement and acceptability but outcomes unclear

KAT retains structure of PAKT, but with addition of DVD (“Gone”)

PAKT and KAT are universal prevention interventions

Aims of KAT

Long term aim of reducing alcohol misuse among young people

Short term objective of encouraging discussion between parents

and their children

Variation among the Working Group about the programme’s

objectives

Programme addressed different needs within the group

Evaluation confirmed communication as the primary objective

Analytical approach

Social development model

Links family communication with later of alcohol use by children

Family environment contains risk and protective factors

Patterns of alcohol use learned through interaction with parents

Activities, perceived opportunities for interaction,

rewards/reinforcement, skills

Interaction develops parent-child bond which facilitates

reinforcement of young people’s behaviour by parental sanctions or

encouragement

Programme implementation

KAT delivered in two schools in 2008 in the Gwent Police area

Delivered to mixed Year 5 and 6 groups in School 1

Fun evenings comprised quizzes, plays/songs performed by the

children and displays of the children’s work

Drugs information stand

40-50 family members attended at each school

Goody bags contained the DVD, leaflets about alcohol, smoothie

recipes, and a sheet for parents (“Encouraging Your Child”)

Acceptability

High levels of acceptability among all groups

Pupils enjoyed KAT and saw it as fun

Parents found the fun evening informal and informative rather than

‘lecturing’ or singling out individuals

Delivering KAT in school to 9-11 year olds seen as appropriate

KAT fun evening open to multiple interpretations

Parents saw it as a way to find out what their children had been

doing at school

Initial impact: communication

Family conversations about parental drinking were key impact

Children attempted to change parents’ behaviour

KAT helped stimulate general discussion about alcohol or support

parents in their attempts to discuss it with their children Fun evening was catalyst for discussion about the work children had

done in school

Little discussion of school work by pupils before the fun evening

Many pupils keen to attend and put pressure on their parents

DVD extended influence of the programme and generated discussion

Initial impact: communication

HR: Carys, have you talked about [the fun evening] with your parents, or…

Carys: A little bit.

HR: Yeah, that’s since we last had the discussion group here, is it?

Carys: Yeah.

HR: And what sort of things did you talk about?

Carys: I told them they shouldn’t drink as much and they stopped it now.

HR: Oh right. Gosh! You’re very influential in your family are you?

Fiona: I talked to my grandpa about it too, coz he goes down the pub every

Monday and Friday to have a pint of beer, but I told him about it and

now he’s cutting down on alcohol.

(Focus Group 1, Feb 09)

Initial impact: knowledge

Most children gained new knowledge, but others still enjoyed KAT

Information on the legal framework around alcohol and government

guidelines (e.g. rules around drink driving)

Knowledge about the effects of alcohol on the self and others

Parents also gained new knowledge on these topics

General agreement between parents and pupils about what different

families members had learnt as a result of KAT

Information at the fun evening based on classroom work so pupils felt

they were ‘teaching their parents’

Initial impact: attitudes

Difficult to establish if KAT had changed children’s or parents’

attitudes

The study was not designed to measure ‘before and after’

changes

Overall, children held critical attitudes towards drinking alcohol and

believed in the importance of limits to drinking

Many believed it would be wrong or dangerous for them to drink

Some children enjoyed drinking alcohol (or drinks with alcohol in

them) and thought this might be acceptable on special occasions

Initial impact: awareness

Clear evidence that some pupils had deepened their

understanding of issues relating to alcohol

Realisation that alcohol was more than ‘just a drink’, and the

impacts that alcohol could have

Parental awareness about the influence of their own drinking

practices increased

KATFF raised awareness among parents of what their child’s

school was doing

Initial impact: awareness

Girl 1: I thought it was just like a drink you can have but you can’t have…but

now I know a lot more about it. And you learn a lot more about what

happens to you when you drink it

Girl 2: You know some of it but you definitely know more what can happen

to you and how it works, how alcohol is

Girl 1: I now understand what it can do to you if you have too much.

Girl 2: Yeah

HR: And had you not thought about that much before the KAT

programme?

Together: No, not really

(Focus Group 4, March 09)

Initial impact: intention

KAT had a small effect on intentions regarding future behaviour

Children’s intentions relating to future drinking

Parents’ decision to alter their drinking behaviour (e.g. not

drinking until the children were in bed)

Initial impact: drinking behaviour

Key issue for pupils was that KAT could reduce alcohol misuse by

adults

Some pupils reported behaviour change among their parents,

particularly reducing their alcohol consumption levels

Other family members also made changes, including those who had

not attended the fun evening

Impact on adult behaviour sustained at three months in some cases

Some parents also described having reduced their alcohol

consumption or making other changes to the way they drank

Discussion

Impact on knowledge & communication within the family is a key strength Children’s concerns about parents’ drinking made them active players, not

just recipients of knowledge Opened up opportunities for parents and children to engage in joint

activities, develop skills, and reinforced pro-social behaviour around

alcohol These forms of socialisation may help strengthen bonds within families

that increase the likelihood that children take on parental norms and

beliefs Capacity to extend beyond immediate families to broader networks well timed in terms of the development of alcohol-related behaviour in

young people

Discussion

KAT attracted large numbers of parents and high levels of acceptability

Did not stigmatise or alienate many families Research only explored the experience of those who took part

in KAT Engagement of fathers less successful than for mothers Programme reached some families with alcohol misuse issues Interaction between different programme components important Test the programme in different school and community settings Further research needed to refine programme theory, clarify key

outcome measures, and examine long term impacts

Acknowledgements

Alcohol Education and Research Council Lyn Webber, Mary Pinnell and members of the KAT working

group Pupils, staff and parents at both study schools Colleagues at CISHE