bs_bs_banner
R E V I E W
Drug and Alcohol Review (March 2015), 34, 202–206 DOI: 10.1111/dar.12231
BRIEF REPORT
Parents’ level of support for adults’ purchase and consumption of alcohol at primary school events when children are present BERNADETTE WARD1, REBECCA KIPPEN2, PENNY BUYKX1, CONOR GILLIGAN3 & KATHY CHAPMAN4 1
School of Rural Health, Monash University, Bendigo, Australia, 2Centre for Health Equity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, 3School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia, and 4Cancer Programs Division, Cancer Council of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Abstract Introduction. Environmental and societal factors are significant determinants of children’s initiation to and use of alcohol. Schools are important settings for promoting well-being and substantial resources have been devoted to curriculum-based alcohol programs, but the effects of these in reducing the misuse of alcohol have been modest.Adults can and do consume alcohol at school events when students are present, but there is a dearth of evidence about parents’ level of support for the practice. The aim of this study was to examine parents’ level of support for the purchase and consumption of alcohol at primary school fundraising events when children are present. Methods. Four hundred seventy-nine Australian parents of children aged 0–12 years participated in an online survey. Logistic regression was used to assess the impact of parent characteristics on the level of agreement with parental purchase and consumption of alcohol at school fundraising events when children are present. Results. The majority of parents (60%) disagreed/strongly disagreed with the practice of adults being able to purchase and consume alcohol at school fundraising events when children were present.The 21% of parents who supported the practice were more likely to be daily smokers and/or have higher (>6) Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test—alcohol consumption scores. Conclusions. Despite the fact that the majority of parents disagree with this practice, published reports suggest that adults’ use of alcohol at primary school events is an emerging issue. It is important that school decision-makers are mindful of the financial and educational value of fundraising activities. [Ward B, Kippen R, Buykx P, Gilligan C, Chapman K. Parents’ level of support for adults’ purchase and consumption of alcohol at primary school events when children are present. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;34:202–6] Key words: alcohol, school, parent, child, policy.
Introduction Internationally, there is agreement that restricting the availability of alcohol reduces consumption and alcohol-related harm [1] and while total prohibition is not a politically acceptable option [2], it is acknowledged that designated alcohol-free environments contribute to enhanced public safety and social order [3]. Young children’s intentions to drink and subsequent elevated levels of drinking in adolescence have been positively linked with adults’ role modelling of alcohol
consumption [4], and so schools have an important role in reducing young people’s subsequent alcohol misuse via both curriculum and broader school policies [5–7]. Most countries (including Australia) ban (58.3%), partially restrict (13.9%) or voluntarily (i.e. local government or municipality regulations) (20.0%), alcohol consumption in educational buildings [3]. Much of the focus on alcohol in schools is confined to the use of alcohol by students either outside school or at off-premises school events [7]. Some school curriculum-based alcohol education programs are
Bernadette Ward Grad Cert Ed, MPH&TM, MHSc, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Rebecca Kippen BBus, GradDip Demography, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Penny Buykx BBSc, Grad Dip App Psych, Cert Addiction Studies, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Conor Gilligan B.BioMed Sci (Hons) PhD, Senior Lecturer, Kathy Chapman BSc, M Nutr & Dietetics, Director. Correspondence to Dr Bernadette Ward, School of Rural Health, Monash University, PO Box 666, Bendigo, Vic. 3552, Australia. Tel: +61 3 5440 9064; Fax: +61 3 5440 9001; E-mail: bernadette.ward@ monash.edu Received 17 July 2014; accepted for publication 20 October 2014. © 2014 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs
Adults’ alcohol use in schools
effective in reducing the misuse of alcohol [8] but despite the wealth of resources that have been directed to school-based alcohol education, the associated impact on under-age initiation to and use of alcohol has been modest [7]. Despite Australian guidelines that promote the exclusion of alcohol from school fundraising events [9], there is substantial anecdotal and policy evidence that schools do not always provide positive role modelling spaces in regard to alcohol. That is, adults are able to and do role model the consumption (and misuse) of alcohol at school events [10,11]. In 2013, alcohol was available at more than 8400 primary school events in England [12] and while comprehensive data are not available for Australia, media reports indicate that such events are not always associated with low-risk drinking [13,14]. School principals report that challenging the ubiquitous drinking culture around some parents’ role modelling of alcohol use is an important part of addressing the misuse of alcohol by young people [15], but parents often resist the implementation of health-promoting policies [16]. Increasingly, parents have an important role in school governance and decision making and so understanding their attitudes towards alcohol, particularly its use in schools, is important for policy-makers and educators working with school decision-makers. There is a plethora of research on health-promoting school interventions [17], but a dearth of literature about the use and purchase of alcohol in schools and the degree of parental support for these activities. The aim of this study was to examine parents’ support for the sale and use of alcohol by adults at primary school fundraising events when children are present. Methods In February 2013, 30 179 New South Wales (NSW) residents, registered with a market research company, were invited to complete an online survey aimed at measuring beliefs, intentions and attitudes related to cancer prevention. Further details of the recruitment and sampling completion rates are reported elsewhere [18] but in brief, population quotas, based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics census [19], were set for location, age, gender or education. Of the 5290 (18%) who started the survey, 760 were ineligible because quotas had been met. Of the remaining 4530, 1229 participants were excluded because of data quality/ completion, they were receiving treatment for cancer or they worked in the advertising, alcohol or tobacco industry. A total of 2482 participants were randomly allocated to answer the questions on alcohol and of these, only parents whose oldest co-resident children were aged 0–12 years were asked: At some primary school
203
fundraising events, adults are able to purchase and consume alcohol in the presence of children. Do you agree or disagree with this practice? Patterns of alcohol consumption were measured using the standard drinks guide picture and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test—alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C) questions (possible score 0–12) [20]. The questionnaire was pretested and piloted, and Cancer Council NSW, Newcastle and Monash University Human Research Ethics Committees provided approval for the study. A $3 incentive was given to those participants who completed the survey. Pearson’s χ2-tests and multiple regression analyses were used to assess the impact of parent characteristics on the level of agreement with parental purchase and consumption of alcohol at school fundraising events when children are present. Variables that had a P value < 0.1 for association with ‘strongly disagree or disagree’ on bivariate analyses were added to the regression model. Categorical variables for income group (
R E V I E W
Drug and Alcohol Review (March 2015), 34, 202–206 DOI: 10.1111/dar.12231
BRIEF REPORT
Parents’ level of support for adults’ purchase and consumption of alcohol at primary school events when children are present BERNADETTE WARD1, REBECCA KIPPEN2, PENNY BUYKX1, CONOR GILLIGAN3 & KATHY CHAPMAN4 1
School of Rural Health, Monash University, Bendigo, Australia, 2Centre for Health Equity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, 3School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia, and 4Cancer Programs Division, Cancer Council of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Abstract Introduction. Environmental and societal factors are significant determinants of children’s initiation to and use of alcohol. Schools are important settings for promoting well-being and substantial resources have been devoted to curriculum-based alcohol programs, but the effects of these in reducing the misuse of alcohol have been modest.Adults can and do consume alcohol at school events when students are present, but there is a dearth of evidence about parents’ level of support for the practice. The aim of this study was to examine parents’ level of support for the purchase and consumption of alcohol at primary school fundraising events when children are present. Methods. Four hundred seventy-nine Australian parents of children aged 0–12 years participated in an online survey. Logistic regression was used to assess the impact of parent characteristics on the level of agreement with parental purchase and consumption of alcohol at school fundraising events when children are present. Results. The majority of parents (60%) disagreed/strongly disagreed with the practice of adults being able to purchase and consume alcohol at school fundraising events when children were present.The 21% of parents who supported the practice were more likely to be daily smokers and/or have higher (>6) Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test—alcohol consumption scores. Conclusions. Despite the fact that the majority of parents disagree with this practice, published reports suggest that adults’ use of alcohol at primary school events is an emerging issue. It is important that school decision-makers are mindful of the financial and educational value of fundraising activities. [Ward B, Kippen R, Buykx P, Gilligan C, Chapman K. Parents’ level of support for adults’ purchase and consumption of alcohol at primary school events when children are present. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;34:202–6] Key words: alcohol, school, parent, child, policy.
Introduction Internationally, there is agreement that restricting the availability of alcohol reduces consumption and alcohol-related harm [1] and while total prohibition is not a politically acceptable option [2], it is acknowledged that designated alcohol-free environments contribute to enhanced public safety and social order [3]. Young children’s intentions to drink and subsequent elevated levels of drinking in adolescence have been positively linked with adults’ role modelling of alcohol
consumption [4], and so schools have an important role in reducing young people’s subsequent alcohol misuse via both curriculum and broader school policies [5–7]. Most countries (including Australia) ban (58.3%), partially restrict (13.9%) or voluntarily (i.e. local government or municipality regulations) (20.0%), alcohol consumption in educational buildings [3]. Much of the focus on alcohol in schools is confined to the use of alcohol by students either outside school or at off-premises school events [7]. Some school curriculum-based alcohol education programs are
Bernadette Ward Grad Cert Ed, MPH&TM, MHSc, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Rebecca Kippen BBus, GradDip Demography, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Penny Buykx BBSc, Grad Dip App Psych, Cert Addiction Studies, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Conor Gilligan B.BioMed Sci (Hons) PhD, Senior Lecturer, Kathy Chapman BSc, M Nutr & Dietetics, Director. Correspondence to Dr Bernadette Ward, School of Rural Health, Monash University, PO Box 666, Bendigo, Vic. 3552, Australia. Tel: +61 3 5440 9064; Fax: +61 3 5440 9001; E-mail: bernadette.ward@ monash.edu Received 17 July 2014; accepted for publication 20 October 2014. © 2014 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs
Adults’ alcohol use in schools
effective in reducing the misuse of alcohol [8] but despite the wealth of resources that have been directed to school-based alcohol education, the associated impact on under-age initiation to and use of alcohol has been modest [7]. Despite Australian guidelines that promote the exclusion of alcohol from school fundraising events [9], there is substantial anecdotal and policy evidence that schools do not always provide positive role modelling spaces in regard to alcohol. That is, adults are able to and do role model the consumption (and misuse) of alcohol at school events [10,11]. In 2013, alcohol was available at more than 8400 primary school events in England [12] and while comprehensive data are not available for Australia, media reports indicate that such events are not always associated with low-risk drinking [13,14]. School principals report that challenging the ubiquitous drinking culture around some parents’ role modelling of alcohol use is an important part of addressing the misuse of alcohol by young people [15], but parents often resist the implementation of health-promoting policies [16]. Increasingly, parents have an important role in school governance and decision making and so understanding their attitudes towards alcohol, particularly its use in schools, is important for policy-makers and educators working with school decision-makers. There is a plethora of research on health-promoting school interventions [17], but a dearth of literature about the use and purchase of alcohol in schools and the degree of parental support for these activities. The aim of this study was to examine parents’ support for the sale and use of alcohol by adults at primary school fundraising events when children are present. Methods In February 2013, 30 179 New South Wales (NSW) residents, registered with a market research company, were invited to complete an online survey aimed at measuring beliefs, intentions and attitudes related to cancer prevention. Further details of the recruitment and sampling completion rates are reported elsewhere [18] but in brief, population quotas, based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics census [19], were set for location, age, gender or education. Of the 5290 (18%) who started the survey, 760 were ineligible because quotas had been met. Of the remaining 4530, 1229 participants were excluded because of data quality/ completion, they were receiving treatment for cancer or they worked in the advertising, alcohol or tobacco industry. A total of 2482 participants were randomly allocated to answer the questions on alcohol and of these, only parents whose oldest co-resident children were aged 0–12 years were asked: At some primary school
203
fundraising events, adults are able to purchase and consume alcohol in the presence of children. Do you agree or disagree with this practice? Patterns of alcohol consumption were measured using the standard drinks guide picture and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test—alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C) questions (possible score 0–12) [20]. The questionnaire was pretested and piloted, and Cancer Council NSW, Newcastle and Monash University Human Research Ethics Committees provided approval for the study. A $3 incentive was given to those participants who completed the survey. Pearson’s χ2-tests and multiple regression analyses were used to assess the impact of parent characteristics on the level of agreement with parental purchase and consumption of alcohol at school fundraising events when children are present. Variables that had a P value < 0.1 for association with ‘strongly disagree or disagree’ on bivariate analyses were added to the regression model. Categorical variables for income group (
