Impact of alcohol harm reduction strategies in community sports clubs: Pilot evaluation of the Good Sports program.

Public health literature proposes that the Australian alcohol industry–funded organisation DrinkWise is a Social Aspects Public Relations Organisation (SAPRO) that favours industry over public interests by deploying ineffective alcohol harm reduction strategies. This research addresses a gap in the critical public relations literature by investigating these claims through an examination of DrinkWise’s source media content. Content and rhetorical framing analysis revealed how the organisation framed the alcohol issue, as well as identifying the messages and message audiences of their media releases. Results supported extant research suggesting that DrinkWise is insulating the alcohol industry against evidence-based public health harm reduction strategies, by engaging in agenda building through industry-friendly framing of the alcohol issue, and dissemination of information subsidies to elites and policy-makers. We discuss the conclusions through a lens of hegemony and develop an argument that DrinkWise media relations is a strategy to maintain a hegemonic individual responsibility ideology.

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Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to predict implementation of harm reduction strategies among MDMA/ecstasy users.

Psychology of Addictive Behaviors ◽

10.1037/adb0000167 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 500-508 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Alan K. Davis ◽

Harold Rosenberg

Keyword(s):

Theory Of Planned Behavior ◽

Harm Reduction ◽

Planned Behavior ◽

Reduction Strategies

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COMMUNITY IMPACT FOR CLINICALLY INTEGRATED ATC PROGRAM IN A SPORTSMEDICINE PRACTICE

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967121s00051 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (7_suppl3) ◽

pp. 2325967121S0005

Author(s):

Laura Grambo ◽

Samantha Rivero ◽

Katie Harbacheck ◽

Christine Boyd ◽

Shaun Keefer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sports Medicine ◽

Community Outreach ◽

Fiscal Year ◽

Outreach Program ◽

Building Relationships ◽

Sports Clubs ◽

Community Needs ◽

Community Sports ◽

Certified Athletic Trainer ◽

The Impact

Background: Health Systems routinely make investments in clinically driven outreach programs to build for future community needs, improve health outcomes, and serve their community mission. Many community sports programs have limited access to sports medicine care, including access to athletic trainers. Hypothesis/Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a clinically integrated Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) Community Sports Outreach Program, by evaluating the outreach into the community, sports clubs, schools, covered events. Methods: The ATC Community Outreach Program monitored key metrics over a 3 and 1/2-year period. Metrics included the partnerships developed with local clubs and schools, number of athletes covered in each organization, games covered and hours spent supporting organizations. Categories were divided into fiscal years (FY) running from September to August. Fiscal Year 2016 was calculated from January – August, as it was the first year of the program. The percentage of growth of the amount of games covered was calculated from the adjacent FY. Results: Over the first 3 and 1/2 years (FY2016-FY2019), the number clubs, schools, programs covered grew from 10, 19, 25, to 31 from FY2016 - FY2019. Number of athletes from 7,363, 12,552, 15,104, to 19,794 from FY2016 - FY2019. The number of community outreach events grew from 6, 11, 57, to 190 from FY2016 - FY2019 (Table/Figure 1.1). The percentage of growth of games covered grew from 183%, 518% to 333% between FY2016 and FY2019. Discussion/Conclusion: Building, maintaining a sports medicine practice is a complex undertaking, and represents a significant investment for the health system and community. In many communities, access to sports medicine care for athletes is very limited. A clinically integrated ATC program can generate a significant impact on the community by building relationships with local sports clubs/schools and improving sports medicine care access to young athletes. Tables/Figures: [Table: see text][Figure: see text]

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Hoots and harm reduction: a qualitative study identifying gaps in overdose prevention among women who smoke drugs

Harm Reduction Journal ◽

10.1186/s12954-021-00479-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Geoff Bardwell ◽

Tamar Austin ◽

Lisa Maher ◽

Jade Boyd

Keyword(s):

Harm Reduction ◽

Illicit Drugs ◽

Structural Violence ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Overdose Prevention ◽

Polysubstance Use ◽

Reduction Strategies ◽

Prevention Interventions ◽

Negative Health Outcomes ◽

Mixed Gender

Abstract Background Smoking or inhaling illicit drugs can lead to a variety of negative health outcomes, including overdose. However, most overdose prevention interventions, such as supervised consumption services (SCS), prohibit inhalation. In addition, women are underrepresented at SCS and are disproportionately impacted by socio-structural violence. This study examines women’s experiences smoking illicit drugs during an overdose epidemic, including their utilization of a women-only supervised inhalation site. Methods Qualitative research methods included on-site ethnographic observation and semi-structured interviews with 32 participants purposively recruited from the women-only site. Data were coded and analyzed using NVivo 12 and thematic analysis was informed by gendered and socio-structural understandings of violence. Results Participants had preferences for smoking drugs and these were shaped by their limited income, inability to inject, and perceptions of overdose risk. Participants expressed the need for services that attend to women’s specific experiences of gendered, race-based, and structural violence faced within and outside mixed-gender social service settings. Results indicate a need for sanctioned spaces that recognize polysubstance use and drug smoking, accommodated by the women-only SCS. The smoking environment further fostered a sociability where participants could engage in perceived harm reduction through sharing drugs with other women/those in need and were able to respond in the event of an overdose. Conclusions Findings demonstrate the ways in which gendered social and structural environments shape women’s daily experiences using drugs and the need for culturally appropriate interventions that recognize diverse modes of consumption while attending to overdose and violence. Women-only smoking spaces can provide temporary reprieve from some socio-structural harms and build collective capacity to practice harm reduction strategies, including overdose prevention. Women-specific SCS with attention to polysubstance use are needed as well as continued efforts to address the socio-structural harms experienced by women who smoke illicit drugs.

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Understanding alcohol harm reduction behaviors from the perspective of self-determination theory: a research agenda

Addiction Research & Theory ◽

10.1080/16066359.2020.1863378 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Dylan K. Richards ◽

Matthew R. Pearson ◽

Katie Witkiewitz

Keyword(s):

Harm Reduction ◽

Research Agenda ◽

Self Determination Theory ◽

Self Determination ◽

Alcohol Harm Reduction

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Harm Reduction Strategies and Drug-Related Negative Consequences in the Dance Music Scene: The Moderating Role of Polysubstance Use

Substance Use & Misuse ◽

10.1080/10826084.2021.1892144 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 56 (6) ◽

pp. 777-781

Author(s):

Belén del Valle Vera ◽

José Carmona-Marquez ◽

Claudio Vidal-Giné ◽

Fermín Fernández-Calderón

Keyword(s):

Harm Reduction ◽

Dance Music ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Polysubstance Use ◽

Music Scene ◽

Reduction Strategies ◽

Moderating Role

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“If I knew I could get that every hour instead of alcohol, I would take the cannabis”: need and feasibility of cannabis substitution implementation in Canadian managed alcohol programs

Harm Reduction Journal ◽

10.1186/s12954-021-00512-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Bernie Pauly ◽

Meaghan Brown ◽

Clifton Chow ◽

Ashley Wettlaufer ◽

Brittany Graham ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Harm Reduction ◽

Partial Substitution ◽

Organizational Leaders ◽

Willingness To Participate ◽

Alcohol Cravings ◽

Alcohol Harm Reduction ◽

Alcohol Programs ◽

Robust Evidence

Abstract Background While there is robust evidence for strategies to reduce harms of illicit drug use, less attention has been paid to alcohol harm reduction for people experiencing severe alcohol use disorder (AUD), homelessness, and street-based illicit drinking. Managed Alcohol Programs (MAPs) provide safer and regulated sources of alcohol and other supports within a harm reduction framework. To reduce the impacts of heavy long-term alcohol use among MAP participants, cannabis substitution has been identified as a potential therapeutic tool. Methods To determine the feasibility of cannabis substitution, we conducted a pre-implementation mixed-methods study utilizing structured surveys and open-ended interviews. Data were collected from MAP organizational leaders (n = 7), program participants (n = 19), staff and managers (n = 17) across 6 MAPs in Canada. We used the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to inform and organize our analysis. Results Five themes describing feasibility of CSP implementation in MAPs were identified. The first theme describes the characteristics of potential CSP participants. Among MAP participants, 63% (n = 12) were already substituting cannabis for alcohol, most often on a weekly basis (n = 8, 42.1%), for alcohol cravings (n = 15, 78.9%,) and withdrawal (n = 10, 52.6%). Most MAP participants expressed willingness to participate in a CSP (n = 16, 84.2%). The second theme describes the characteristics of a feasible and preferred CSP model according to participants and staff. Participants preferred staff administration of dry, smoked cannabis, followed by edibles and capsules with replacement of some doses of alcohol through a partial substitution model. Themes three and four highlight organizational and contextual factors related to feasibility of implementing CSPs. MAP participants requested peer, social, and counselling supports. Staff requested education resources and enhanced clinical staffing. Critically, program staff and leaders identified that sustainable funding and inexpensive, legal, and reliable sourcing of cannabis are needed to support CSP implementation. Conclusion Cannabis substitution was considered feasible by all three groups and in some MAPs residents are already using cannabis. Partial substitution of cannabis for doses of alcohol was preferred. All three groups identified a need for additional supports for implementation including peer support, staff education, and counselling. Sourcing and funding cannabis were identified as primary challenges to successful CSP implementation in MAPs.

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