A qualitative report on learners' experiences and perceptions of the 'It starts today' intervention
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2018
TITLE AUTHOR(S): C.Groenewald, Z.Essack, S.Khumalo, A.Nkwanyana, T.Ntini
KEYWORDS: ADOLESCENTS, ALCOHOL USE, UNDERAGED DRINKING
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 10842
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/13749
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/13749
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
Adolescent alcohol use has emerged as a significant health problem in South Africa. Recent surveillance statistics in South Africa show that between 17% and 42% of persons admitted to treatment nationally report alcohol as their primary substance of choice (Dada et al., 2015). South African data further indicate that at least 25% of school-going youth have engaged binge drinking and 12% had their first drink before 13 years old (Reddy et al., 2013). This is particularly problematic as early initiation of alcohol use is associated with heightened risk for adult alcohol dependency (Makela & Mustonen, 2000). In response to the problem of underage drinking, the Association for Alcohol Responsibility and Education (AwARE.org) piloted an early intervention programme that aimed to prevent and interrupt underage drinking amongst school-going youth in two provinces in South Africa. This programme, called 'It starts today', targeted school-going youth residing in two communities in the Free State and Mpumalanga. In both provinces, adolescents make up approximately one fifth of the general population (Free State: 18.5% and Mpumalanga: 19.3%) (Statistics South Africa, 2018). High rates of unemployment have also been reported in the study sites (Statistics South Africa, 2011) and adolescent alcohol misuse use has been identified as problematic in both Free State and Mpumalanga (see Reddy et al., 2011; also see Dada et al., 2017). Names of the schools and communities have been anonymised in order to protect the identities of learners and avoid stigmatisation of the schools (including learners and teachers) that participated in the study. School-going youth consisted of primary and secondary school children who were attending grades 5 to 12 at the time of the study.-
Related Research Outputs:
- Community members' perspectives of two interactive events aimed at interrupting underage drinking: a rapid assessment
- Learners' perceptions of the 'It starts today' underage drinking pilot life orientation programme: endline report
- Early adolescent patterns of alcohol and tobacco use in eight association of South-East Asian nations (ASEAN) member states
- An evaluation of the 'It starts today' intervention: baseline results
- Pregnancy termination among South African adolescents
- What's changed?: the racial orientations of South African adolescents during rapid political change
- Adolescents perceptions of the future of South Africa: a 40 year perspective
- Report on the child and adolescent mental health policy guidelines workshop
- What puts adolescents at risk?
- Adolescence and youth: the challenge of violence in post-conflict South Africa
- Birth to twenty
- Report on the provincial round table: implementing the child & adolescent mental health policy guidelines
- Children and youth at risk: adaptation and pilot study of the CHAMP (Amaqhawe) programme in South Africa
- Violent behaviour in adolescence: casual pathways, risk assessment and intervention
- Norms for South African Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
- Child and adolescent mental health service norms: a manual for costing
- Child and adolescent mental health norms: a manual for planning
- Trends in adolescent alcohol and other drug use: findings from three sentinel sites in South Africa (1997-2001)
- Sexual self-esteem and body image of South African spinal cord injured adolescents
- Substance abuse, suicidality, and self-esteem in South African adolescents