Alcohol Education - Research Proposal Example

? Alcohol Education Alcohol Education Alcohol is among the widely categorized substances prone to abuse. Substance abuse can be termed as the use of substances for non-medical purposes, used in excess, used for the wrong purposes or too often and in the wrong combination (WHO, 2012). Substances are commonly used to enhance mental and physical capacities. Incidents of the college age population partaking in alcohol consumption have been on the rise, culminating to abusive levels. This paper will address the prevalence problem of alcohol among this group, aiming at increasing educational awareness of the effects of alcohol. It will detail how the goal can be measured, the role nurses could play and the aspects that support increasing the educational awareness. Using evidence based research, it will also indicate whether the aspects have been researched before and the outcomes obtained. The paper will also discuss the stakeholders engaged so as to get support for the project, highlight the specific arguments that could be used and the strategies that could be employed. The paper will further make references to change theory, systems theory and organizational theory while outlining the steps to operationalize the project. The outline will indicate specific timelines, needed resources, communication plan and the estimated budget. It will then describe the outcomes that require measurement along the way and those at the end of the project, highlighting their significance and how they would be used to adapt new strategies along the way. Finally, it will be concluded by a description of what the expected outcomes would be. To effectively increase educational awareness of the effects of alcohol among the college age population, there is a need to equip those who will play the role of creating the awareness (WHO, 2012). They include parents, youth workers, teachers, community and religious workers. Through program initiatives, adults can be guided on youth behavioral training, family skills, brief therapy and support. Another critical group is made up of those who sell and serve alcohol, which can be trained on implementing measures to reduce harmful consumption of alcohol by the young people. Peers also bear a significant influence on the young people’s drinking habits and patterns, and specific approaches can be designed to mould their relationship to discourage alcohol consumption (Houghton & Roche, 2001). The way the youth make decisions regarding consumption of alcohol is also greatly influenced by the drinking culture that prevails in their community. The community can be used to develop the youth’s social and personal skills in a manner which lets them take responsible choices while teaching them not to position themselves or others in the way of harm. Within the colleges, the administrators must educate students on personal and academic effects of excessive alcohol consumption. They should empower their students to be responsible of the decisions they make regarding alcohol and the campus environment. It is upon the college administration to impact upon the students, especially the new ones, the concept of an alcohol-free environment (Midford & McBride, 2001). This can be achieved by showing them that most of their peers already in college do not indulge in alcohol abuse but instead chose safe and healthy decisions. This is a particularly significant step because majority of new students have the tendency to simply fit in the norms they found existing in their new environment. If they are led to incorrectly believe that all students on campus get drunk regularly, they will most likely pick on the habit and develop it. The students can be assisted to organize and participate in events designed by peer education groups to enhance respect for college policies, state laws and personal responsibility in terms of alcohol consumption. Such events present the youth with opportunities to display healthy ways of life free from use of alcohol illegally and its abuse. If such events are regular and consistent, they keep the students engaged and empowered to take care not only of themselves, but also each other. The college administration has the social responsibility to help students adopt and develop skills to take on low-risk drinking habits, including opting not to drink at all. That would be a major step towards attitude and behavior change (Midford & McBride, 2001). As a prevention measure and policy, alcohol education includes availing information to both the general public or particular target groups and individuals, and efforts geared towards changing behaviors that surround drinking. These two aspects need attention from the policy makers who must ensure that provision of precise information on alcohol includes balanced information on the outcomes of various drinking patterns, including their social and health implications. The policy should also include raising awareness on drinking recommendations and guidelines which can be extended to the entire community from which the youth copies and develops habits (Plant & Plant, 1997). They can be developed to enhance existing regulations on alcohol in a given jurisdiction or country. The success or failure of the awareness campaign can be measured by monitoring the alcohol-related cases the health institutions in a state, city or town record after a certain period. These can then be compared to what was recorded before the campaign was started. Because the hospitals admit such cases on very regular basis, noticing a drop or increase requires minimal monitoring. A reduction in the cases will imply the goal’s success. The measuring could also be further broken down to find out in which department the patients were admitted; either the emergency department or the general outpatient department. This might give an indication of the level of abuse of alcohol. What Role could the Nurse play? Nurses are among the health professionals with direct contact and experiences with victims of alcohol abuse. They are, therefore, well placed to recognize alcohol misuse symptoms and strategize how to appropriately intervene. With the increasing numbers of emergency department cases in health institutions related to alcohol-induced injuries, nurses have suitable experience to educate the young adults on the grave consequences of excessive consumption of alcohol. They face the consequences of misuse of alcohol every day, ranging from handling aggressive and violent patients to caring for those who suffer from effects of long periods of alcohol abuse. It would also be in the nurse’s line of duty and obligation to share the numerous first hand examples of adverse health effects of sustained alcohol misuse they have come across for the purpose of raising awareness to a potential group of victims, and help them in healthy decision making (Houghton & Roche, 2001). Nurses can emphasize the effects of different manners of alcohol consumption, and their presence is enough to lend a sense of authority of the presentation to the target group. What in the Literature Supports Increasing Educational Awareness? The aspect in the literature that supports increasing awareness is the way it targets the college age population through different angles and avenues. For example, the literature uses school curricula, social influence and other at-risk groups to get at the target group. In terms of school curricula, schools provide obvious points of focus for alcohol education. The curricula may be tailored to include information and teaching plans that address a scope social and health related issues arising from over indulgence in alcohol (Midford & McBride, 2001). The target group is relatively inexperienced in alcohol, and their general tendency towards risk-taking exposes them to heightened risk of harm (Mason, 2009). Therefore, their venues for social gathering may also be used to impact awareness apart from colleges. Effective areas include clubs, community or religious centers and discos. The family setting and the home also form vital social routes to confer awareness on alcoholism. Other special awareness approaches using examples from other at-risk groups like pregnant women, marginalized youth or those out of the mainstream healthcare programs and those dependent on alcohol or unable to manage their indulgence. Has it been Researched Before?  These have been researched before by the Washington-based International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP). It was established that curricula-based approaches in schools and colleges, though bearing more academic than behavior changing impacts, serve the purpose of delivering awareness. Efforts targeting particular groups are more common and effective, and often overlap with the curricula-based efforts. However, they come into play when those targeted are already deep into the problem, unlike the curricula-based fashion where there are chances of getting those who are yet to be deeply embedded in the habit (Midford & McBride, 2001). It was also established that the family bears the single strongest influence among the external factors on a young person’s attitude towards drinking. Since the finding was also found to be true across most cultures, the previous researches found it critical to target families and the way parents relate to their children in order to effectively raise awareness. The ICAP found that strong relationships between the target group and their parents, communication, family structure, supervision and adult monitoring as well as involvement of adults positively influence alcohol related choices the young people may make (Plant & Plant, 1997). Behaviors, attitudes and views surrounding drinking are determined largely by the environment and the culture in which the young adults were brought up in. Parents and other elders, as well as peers who play significant roles in the young peoples’ lives, can be proactive agents in creating awareness. Looking at the research from the young peoples’ places of social gathering, the ICAP also found that developing specific interventions helped alleviate problematic drinking patterns, such as drinking and driving and binge drinking (Spear, 2004). This was by use of warning labels and notices both in public drinking places and on the beverage containers. They warned of specific outcomes of alcohol at a young age or under such circumstances as pregnancy and during medication. However, the labels raise awareness only to limited extents and individuals when used on their own, and need to be accompanied by other activities like public rallies and fares (Sroufe, Cooper & DeHart, 1996). The researchers also found that the alcohol education awareness can be incorporated into general education on health and dispensed via nurses, physicians, peers and the general social or healthcare fraternity. A general conclusion drawn by the ICAP researchers was that measures targeting particular groups based on high specificity were evidently more effective in comparison to broad-based methods (Plant & Plant, 1997). Who are the Key Stakeholders who will need to be engaged in order to get support for this Project? The key stakeholders to be included for the success of the project are the government policy makers, alcohol manufacturers, distributors and sellers, and finally, the target group and social community. The role each stakeholder plays will build the basis for the specific arguments to be used. The scope of this research underpins the principle that individuals in the target group should be empowered with the necessary information to understand and increase awareness levels of impacts of misuse of alcohol, and be able to make healthier choices regarding lifestyle. According to a study by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), England, the broader environment may be changed to facilitate making the healthy choice the easier way. This will often require policy and regulation, and that is where the government has a role to play (WHO, 2010). The government must pass a law for the compulsory labeling of all alcoholic beverages with health and unit information in consistent formats. It must also pass into law the prevention of carrying out promotional activities that target and encourage college age populations to take alcohol excessively. Availability and access to cheap alcohol should also be controlled by policies that stipulate a significant minimum per unit price. However, the ICAP argues that in order to reduce patterns of heavy drinking, the awareness campaigns ought to rely on wider measures than just putting limits on economical and physical availability of alcohol (WHO, 2010). Engaging more stakeholders, including the alcohol industry, bears more fruit. This is in contrast to what had earlier been suggested by the RCN that policy makers must make sure public education and information on alcohol is founded on recommendations provided by independent scientific bodies with totally no contribution from the alcohol industry (Marlatt, 1998). What Strategies could be employed? As per the strategy suggested by the ICAP, when more stakeholders are engaged, the methods are more creative and complex, with higher levels of success. In this view, it has been established that clearly defining the desired outcome is a vital requirement in the development of alcohol education initiatives and programs. A number of programs support abstinence until the provisions of the legal age limits are fulfilled. On the other hand, some acknowledge that drinking will most likely occur and, therefore, aim at reducing overindulgence and the associated harm (Marlatt, 1998). After policy makers have set rules and regulations, the alcohol industry can embark on producing and marketing their beverages within the stipulated limits. The industry can be obliged to plan their marketing strategies so as not to encourage underage drinking, not to target the youth and also discourage overconsumption (Sroufe, Cooper & DeHart, 1996). Those who serve in the drinking premises should also follow guidelines provided on the age limits of their customers, and not serve those who are obviously above the stipulated consumption units. The adults in the community must also drink responsibly if the youth are to emulate them. It is up to them to teach and lead by example for the sake of a sober population (Sroufe, Cooper & DeHart, 1996). References to Organizational Theory, Systems Theory, and Change Theory In this project, all the stakeholders may be likened to an organization. In that view, the project may be defined in terms of organizational theory as working to identify common themes that will benefit the community, especially the target group, by solving problems, optimizing productivity and efficiency to meet the stakeholders’ needs (Sapru, 2008). Systems theory will view each stakeholder as a part that forms the whole system. It will describe the state of each stakeholder as a function of the way it interacts with the rest and the community in which they operate. Individual stakeholders are unique and at the same time part of the system with unique contributions that work towards achieving the common goal. Change theory will define the required building blocks to achieve the set long-term target (Sapru, 2008). In this project, the building blocks are represented by the outcomes at various stages as the project progresses towards the ultimate goal. Change theory also addresses the types of interventions that lead to the outcomes realized along the way. Outline of the Steps to operationalize this Project The project will start by inviting the stakeholders to participate. Confirmation of participation from all parties is expected to be received in one month. Due to the long period it may take to get policies approved by the authorities, the project will seek initial provisional policies to run the project while the actual policies are worked on by the relevant government bodies. The project itself is expected to visit one city and college everyday for 30 days. Each stakeholder will appoint their team and a team leader. The necessary resources will include vehicles to move around the state and public address systems to be used in rallies and fares. Posters and billboards will be the key communication tools to inform neighborhoods of the dates the project will be visiting. Branded caps and t-shirts distributed to the target group will also be used as incentives and constant reminders of the purpose of the project. Coordination within the project will be conducted by one overall team leader, who will allocate duties to team leaders representing each stakeholder. The team leaders will, in turn, coordinate the specific roles of the teams they represent. Each of the five stakeholders is expected to have a team of ten, bringing the total number to fifty. For the 30 days of the project, the estimated budget is placed at $100,000. Describe the outcomes that you would want to measure along the way and at the end of the project. The outcomes to be measured along the way include if the target group first acknowledges and accepts the purpose of the project. If acknowledgement is not present, then it could mean that the purpose of the project does not come out as significant to the group it is meant for. Another outcome to be measured along the way is finding out the size of the targeted population that is aware of the project and what it is aiming at. These two are important because if they do not appear to be happening substantially, the purpose of the project is failing. They can serve as indicators to drop the way the message is presented and draft new, more aggressive ways. For example, if the youth are not happy with being told the dangers of excessively indulging in alcohol, they may be approached by being told the benefits of moderate drinking. Overemphasizing on the health risks may be viewed as stigmatizing a habit they have always known to be normal and create rebellion. Outcomes to be measured at the end of the project include the actual drop of those indulging in alcohol, cases reported by law enforcers and admissions to health facilities. A further step would be to find out if the target group has embarked on passing the raised awareness to their peers. If it has been taken up as a responsibility by the target group to pass the awareness to their peers, then it can serve as an accurate indicator of the success of the project. In conclusion, the outcome is expected to reflect two aspects. The first will be a considerable reduction in alcohol consumption among the target group. The group is expected to adopt healthy and responsible drinking habits, while acting as agents to keep the awareness campaign alive even after the official closure of the project. They are expected to instill the virtues of moderation to their peers by example. The second expected outcome will be youths who completely drop alcohol from their lifestyles. This is expected from those who had not gotten addicted to the habit, and those whose lives are placed in danger by continuing with the habit. This aspect is also expected to be topped up by less numbers of new drinkers as per previous statistics. References Anderson, P., Chisholm, D., & Fuhr, D. (2009). Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of policies and programmes to reduce the harm caused by alcohol. Philadelphia: Routledge. Houghton, E., & Roche, A. (2001). Learning about drinking. Philadelphia: Brunner-Routledge. Marlatt, G. (1998). Harm reduction: Pragmatic strategies for managing high-risk behaviors. New York: Guilford Press. Mason, C. (2009). Improving services for people with alcohol-related problems. Nursing Standard, 23(38) 35-40 Midford, R., & McBride, N. (2001). Alcohol education in schools. Chichester, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons. Plant, M., & Plant, M. (1997). Alcohol education and harm minimization. New York: Free Association Books. Sapru, R. K. (2008). Administrative theories and management thought. New Delhi: Prentice-Hall of India Private Limited. Spear, L. (2004). What drives underage drinking? An international analysis. Washington, DC: International Center for Alcohol Polices. Sroufe, L., Cooper, R., & DeHart, G. (1996). Child development: Its nature and course. New York: McGraw-Hill. World Health Organization (WHO). (2010). Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. Geneva: WHO. World Health Organization (WHO). (2012). Management of substance abuse: The global burden. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/facts/global_burden/en/ index.html Read More