Abstract
Implementation of the STAD model in Valasske Mezirici, Czech Republic, represents a community based preventive intervention.
The major goals of the project were to reduce the underage drinking, to reduce excessive drinking of young adults and to reduce the alcohol related harms.
Three elements of the STAD model has been implemented: responsible beverage service, community mobilisation and improvement of law enforcement.
The process evaluation monitored the quantitative and qualitative aspects of model implementation. The outcome evaluation using school surveys, alcohol purchase testing and venue observation documented that the expected results has been achieved.
Piloting the STAD model in Valmez represents the very first community oriented intervention project focused on reduction of underage drinking. Outcomes are in general promising, despite the relatively modest changes in drinking behaviour of young people. Specifically the availability of alcohol for under-aged decreased and parental control over alcohol drinking of their under-aged children tended to move to be less permissive.
The project showed that implementation of the STAD model is feasible and that the effort of key stakeholders may change the community to be more healthy and safe for all.
Intervention details
Reducing heavy episodic drinking in young adults
Reducing alcohol-related harms in nightlife setting
Minors, young adults
Restaurant/bar staff, local police, municipality officers, community stakeholders
Training of hospitality industry personnel (alcohol servers) in responsible alcohol service (RBS training).
Community mobilisation (education of the community about health effects of alcohol and about alcohol related harm to individual and to others).
Better enforcement of the respective legislation.
Implementation of this intervention was based on the evidence of effectiveness of the STAD model.
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Evaluation details
Outcome evaluation
Serving of alcoholic beverage to minors in nightlife setting.
Occurrence of excessive alcohol consumption (drunkenness) among young adults.
The following elements of the STAD model were evaluated during the project implementation:
quantity of the of RBS training - 78 persons has been trained in four workshops;
training of the members of local police in STAD model - 6 persons trained;
community mobilisation through local media and other info channels - distribution of info leaflets (1000 pcs) and information dissemination in local newspaper and via website of the city and of the National Network of Health Promotion.
1) Alcohol test purchases
Mystery shopping has been carried out in 20 restaurants. Ten teams of students visited 20 restaurants. Each restaurant was visited 5 times, always by different team within 3 months period. The results showed that of in sum 100 visits in the check of age was required in 23 cases. In 8 cases this was done only by asking for age, and in 15 cases by request of the ID card. In 6 restaurants of 20 the verification of age was in 40 per cents or more of all alcohol testing purchases. RBS training has been delivered in five of these six restaurants.
2) School survey pre- and post- the implementation of the intervention
Two school surveys were undertaken with students in six high schools in Valmez. The first survey was carried out in May/June 2017 and the second one year later in May/June 2018. The data were collected by trained research assistants in cooperation with administration of schools. Only students from the second grade were surveyed and only data of students of age 16 – 17 years were analysed (under-aged in terms of legal availability of alcohol). The questionnaire covered the following areas: alcohol consumption patterns, purchasing of alcohol, excessive alcohol consumption and drunkenness, parental control.
Main results of comparison of two survey waves are suggest unchanged drinking experiences, but decreased availability of alcohol, more common verification of age and more strict alcohol control by parents in 2018 compared to data from the year 2017.
Venue observations
Within the contest "Restaurants friendly to families" 11 restaurants were observed and evaluated in about 20 indicators. Among these indicators two focused on alcohol serving and one on smoking. Seven of eleven restaurants declared that their staff were trained in methods of responsible beverage service, and five restaurants reported age checking in case of young customers. Ten of all restaurants followed consequently the ban of smoking.
