scholarly journals Evaluation of a novel therapeutic education programme for people with alcohol use disorder in France: a mixed-methods intervention study protocol (ETHER)

2022 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saskia Antwerpes ◽  
Marie Costa ◽  
Marion Coste ◽  
Morgane Bureau ◽  
Gwenaelle Maradan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background ETHER (“Education THEérapeutique pour la Réduction des dommages en alcoologie” or Therapeutic education for alcohol-related harm reduction) is a multicentre community-based mixed-methods study, which aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the innovative therapeutic patient education (TPE) programme ‘Choizitaconso’ in a sample of French people with alcohol use disorder (people with AUD). Choizitaconso teaches people with AUD psychosocial skills to help them (re)establish controlled drinking and reduce alcohol-related harms. Recruitment started in October 2019. We present here the protocol of the ETHER study. Methods ETHER’s quantitative component involves a 6-month controlled intervention study which evaluates Choizitaconso’s effectiveness by comparing 30 people with AUD following the programme with a control group of 60 people with AUD not enrolled in it, using a questionnaire co-constructed by the research team and members of the people with AUD community. Thirty-four alcohol-related harms are assessed and summed to provide an individual measure of the ‘harm burden’ from consuming alcohol (primary outcome). Secondary outcomes are anticipated and internalized stigma, alcohol consumption measures, craving for alcohol, coping strategies, health-related quality of life, self-confidence to control or abstain from drinking, treatment self-regulation, anxiety and depressive symptoms, alcohol-related neuropsychological impairments, and capabilities (a measure of wellbeing in adults). Data will be collected in face-to-face and phone-based interviews at enrolment and 6 months later. Linear regression models will be used to assess the impact of the TPE programme on changes in the primary and secondary outcomes, while adjusting for other correlates and confounders. The study’s qualitative component comprises semi-structured interviews with 16 people with AUD who have already completed the TPE programme at least 6 months before the interview. Qualitative interviews will be analysed using thematic analysis. Results and conclusions ETHER is the first evaluation study of an innovative TPE programme specifically designed to reduce alcohol-related harms and reach controlled drinking in France. The involvement of the people with AUD community in selecting which experienced and perceived alcohol-related harms to measure ensures that ETHER will provide healthcare staff and researchers with a relevant set of harm reduction criteria for use in future research. Finally, ETHER will provide scientific justification for implementing novel alcohol-related harm reduction approaches and champion controlled drinking as a therapeutic goal. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03954054. Registered 17 May 2019—Prospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03954054?cond=alcohol&cntry=FR&city=Marseille&draw=1&rank=1.

2011 ◽  
Vol 59 (8) ◽  
pp. 736-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold Rosenberg ◽  
Erin E. Bonar ◽  
Erica Hoffmann ◽  
Elizabeth Kryszak ◽  
Kathleen M. Young ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Bright ◽  
Cylie M. Williams

The aim of the present case study was to evaluate the service-wide implementation of Australia’s first older adult-specific early intervention called Older Wiser Lifestyles (OWL). OWL was designed to reduce alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm among people identified as being at risk. OWL used the Australian Alcohol-Related Problems Survey (A-ARPS) to classify people’s drinking patterns as non-hazardous, hazardous or harmful. Participants of the present study were aged ≥60 years and consumed alcohol in the past month, although they did not require treatment for dependence. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test – Consumption (AUDIT-C) was used as a composite measure of alcohol consumption. Data were collected before intervention and 3 and 6 months after intervention. In all, 140 clients were screened and attended at least one appointment (54% male; mean (± s.d.) age 72.8±7.6 years). Generalised estimating equation (GEE) examined the correlations between the intervention groups, time point and outcomes of interest. At 6 months, significant reductions were observed in A-ARPS classification (P=0.001) and AUDIT-C scores (P=0.001) among all clients, regardless of the number of sessions or intervention group. These preliminary findings warrant a randomised clinical trial of the intervention. Until this is completed, Australian health care providers should still consider the early intervention to reduce the risk of alcohol consumption among older adults. What is known about this topic? Older Australians are increasingly drinking alcohol at levels that place them at risk of experiencing harm. Although early interventions have been developed overseas that have been shown to reduce risky drinking among older adults, no such program has been implemented in Australia. What does this paper add? We developed an early intervention program (OWL) that drew from and extended intervention protocols developed overseas. In particular, we added harm reduction as a component of the intervention. Harm reduction interventions do not appear to have been evaluated among older adults. The OWL program was evaluated and found to be associated with decreased levels of alcohol-related harm. What are the implications for practitioners? Older adults have different needs when it comes to considering risk of alcohol-related harm. Many are taking medications that interact with alcohol or have comorbid conditions that can be exacerbated by alcohol or more difficult to treat. Yet, many such individuals are not considered to be at risk due to poor screening among this population. The program we developed takes into account these age-specific factors and has been manualised. As such, it could be implemented by a variety of healthcare workers in numerous settings. We hope that practitioners are interested in trialling the program and that a randomised controlled trial is conducted to establish the efficacy of the program.


Addiction ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 498-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Toumbourou ◽  
I. R. Williams ◽  
V. M. White ◽  
P. C. Snow ◽  
G. D. Munro ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-129
Author(s):  
Sima Riazi ◽  
Sarah MacLean

Riazi, S., & MacLean, S. (2016). Young adults' accounts of buying rounds of alcoholic drinks for friends: Implications for harm reduction. The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 5(3), 125-129. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v5i3.229Aims: Buying or shouting rounds (purchasing alcoholic drinks for oneself and others at the same time) at on-premise licensed venues, such as nightclubs and bars, is a widespread Australian cultural practice. Our paper aims to provide detailed information on young adults’ attitudes and practices concerning round buying.Methods: Thematic analysis of research interviews involving 60 young adults living in Melbourne was conducted using NVivo 10, yielding three key themes.Findings: (1) Contexts where round buying occurred: young adults considered group size and culture, as well as bar activity, when determining whether they should round buy with their friends. In busy venues, round buying conveniently reduced the number of trips to and time waiting at the bar. Round buying was less likely to occur in groups larger than 4-5 people, as beyond this participants found it difficult to control the reciprocity of round buying, cost, and consumption of alcohol. (2) Sociability: while round buying did not occur within the friendship groups of all participants, it was seen by many as an important way of demonstrating connections with friends. (3) Consumption: overwhelmingly, participants believed that round buying increases their overall alcohol intake through implicit and explicit pressures to consume more.Conclusions: Policies that limit round buying may offer a means to reduce alcohol-related harm. In addition, education that challenges round buying rules and expectations may help alleviate pressure on young adults to consume heavily.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Hochet ◽  
G Quatremère ◽  
R Andler ◽  
C Cogordan ◽  
V Nguyen Thanh

Abstract Background Alcohol use ranks among the top three risk factors in France, leading to about 40 000 deaths annually. French health authorities wished to renew the public health message about alcohol consumption and build a social marketing Strategy to lower the social and health consequences of alcohol consumption in France. Objectives Two main steps were followed: 1) gathering a group of experts to provide up-to-date low-risk drinking guidelines, 2) building, testing and implementing a social marketing Strategy based on this expertise. Results In 2017, the group of experts established low-risk drinking Guidelines based on both scientific evidence and socially acceptable risks for the French population. They suggested to increase awareness on alcohol-related harm as well as on the new Guidelines. In 2018, a social marketing Strategy was set up by Santé publique France, the French national public health Agency. Qualitative and quantitative pretests allowed to develop understandable and potentially effective communication materials consisting of the following message: “To protect your health, no more than 2 alcoholic drinks a day, and not every day”. A web-based brief intervention to assess a person’s alcohol consumption was developed, based on a previous tool whose effectiveness had been demonstrated. In 2019, the Campaign was launched: health professionals were informed at first, followed by a national mass media Campaign that was broadcasted for 3 weeks, targeting the general population (TV, radio, press, the Internet). Conclusions It is the first time in France that such a global Strategy is set up to promote an alcohol harm reduction message. A robust evaluation is in progress but this structured approach seems feasible and reproducible abroad. Key messages In France, an alcohol harm reduction Strategy has been built up and implemented, based on scientifically-established Guidelines. The social marketing campaign is rigorously evaluated to assess its impact and portability.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Dance ◽  
Charlotte Dack ◽  
Celia Lasheras ◽  
Cathy McMahon ◽  
Paul Scott ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Lower socioeconomic status (SES) groups, particularly lower SES males, are at greater risk of alcohol-related harm than higher SES groups, despite drinking at the same level or less. However, they are rarely recruited for research through typical recruitment strategies. Consequently, limited evidence exists on patterns of alcohol use and effectiveness of public health messages for these groups. Using workplaces to recruit male drinkers from lower SES backgrounds may provide a feasible and accessible approach to research participation and enable improved understanding of alcohol use, drinking motives and acceptance of alcohol-related public health messages in this underrepresented and high-risk group. We investigated workplace-based strategies to recruit male drinkers from lower SES backgrounds. We also investigated their experiences and motivations for alcohol use, and acceptance of alcohol-related public health messages. Methods A feasibility element investigated the effectiveness of workplace-based strategies to recruit male drinkers from lower SES backgrounds in the south west of England. A pilot element investigated this population’s experiences and motivations for alcohol use, and acceptance of alcohol-related public health messages, through a mixed-methods survey. Results Feasibility results indicated that workplace-based recruitment strategies, including recruiting participants in person at their workplace and providing a financial incentive, effectively led to the recruitment of 84 male drinkers (70% recruitment rate), predominately from lower SES backgrounds, to a survey. Pilot results indicated that more than half of participants were at increasing risk of alcohol-related harm, and approximately one fifth engaged in weekly heavy episodic drinking. Participation in campaigns aimed at reducing alcohol use, and knowledge of government alcohol consumption guidelines, were low. Participants reported negative beliefs about alcohol including health effects, dependency and excess use, and financial and occupational effects. Positive beliefs about alcohol included relaxation, socialising, and enjoyment. Conclusions Workplace-based recruitment, using in-person recruitment and a financial incentive, may be a feasible strategy to recruit male drinkers from lower SES backgrounds. Pilot results may direct larger scale research aiming to understand alcohol use in this population and inform targeted public health messages. Workplace-based recruitment may represent a promising avenue for future research aiming to tackle inequalities in participation in alcohol research.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document