Index
Koning, I. M., van der Rijst, V., de Wit, J. B. F. & de Kock, C. (2021). Pre-intervention effects of a
community-based intervention targeting alcohol use (LEF): the role of participatory research and
publicity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(16), 8823. doi:
10.3390/ijerph18168823........................................................................................................................1
Arthur, M. W. & Blitz, C. (2000). Bridging the gap between science and practice in drug abuse
prevention through needs assessment and strategic community planning. Journal of Community
Psychology, 28(3), 241–255. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1520- 6629(200005)28:33.0.CO;2-X............................4
Movsisyan, A., Arnold, L., Evans, R., Hallingberg, B., Moore, G., O’Cathain, A., 10 Pfadenhauer, L. M.,
Segrott, J. & Rehfuess, E. (2019). Adapting evidence-informed complex population health
interventions for new contexts: a systematic review of guidance. Implementation Science, 14(1), 105.
doi: 10.1186/s13012-019-0956-5...........................................................................................................9
Snijder, M., Calabria, B., Dobbins, T., Knight, A. & Shakeshaft, A. (2018). A need for tailored programs
and policies to reduce rates of alcohol-related crimes for vulnerable communities and young people:
an analysis of routinely collected police data. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 53(5), 578–585. doi:
10.1093/alcalc/agy034.........................................................................................................................13
Koning, I. M., van der Rijst, V., de Wit, J. B. F. & de Kock, C. (2021). Pre-intervention effects of a
community-based intervention targeting alcohol use (LEF): the role of participatory research and
publicity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(16), 8823. doi:
10.3390/ijerph18168823
Introduction
Early-onset alcohol use is an important risk factor for many negative consequences,
therefore, prevention of early alcohol use in adolescents is crucial.
The development and implementation of interventions on alcohol use in adolescents are
complex, as risk factors are multi-faceted, involving a combination of individual, social and
environmental factors, with drinking behaviors influenced by factors from different levels,
i.e., individual factors, parental and peer influence, and alcohol policies.
Considering that factors at multiple levels are relevant, multi-component interventions are
more effective than single-component interventions and can therefore better contribute to
reducing adolescents’ alcohol use.
Community-based interventions are designed to address the complex interplay between
individual behaviors and broader societal influences by involving the community itself and
may be an effective way of reducing alcohol use and related harms.
The aim of community-based interventions is not to intervene on an individual level alone
but to bring stakeholders like policymakers, educators, and regulators, together to influence
this broader environment in which drinking frequently occurs.
A utilitarian model of community participation posits that involvement of the community is
essential because it will improve the effectiveness and sustainability of the resulting
intervention due to it being better in line with the local context and having greater buy-in
from local actors who were involved in the development.
, An empowerment model argues that community participation is an end in itself as it will
directly contribute to community empowerment, which aligns with the vision of health
promotion as set out in the Ottawa Charter (World Health Organization).
‘Pre-intervention’ effects the effects of the development of an intervention while using
co-creation, on relevant outcomes before intervention strategies are implemented. It is likely
that this pre-intervention phase already has an impact on the targeted mechanisms and
outcomes of interest.
This study aims to address this gap by focusing on the process of participatory development of a
community-based intervention aiming to reduce alcohol use amongst adolescents. The
“intervention” for the context of the current study is the participatory research that was undertaken
during the development of the community-based intervention LEF. (The LEF program is a community-
based intervention in the municipality of Edam-Volendam in The Netherlands that aims to delay the
onset of alcohol use and reduce weekly drinking among youth.) It explores whether “pre-intervention
effects” exist, referring to changes in alcohol use and relevant mechanisms amongst adolescents
following the participatory research processes and parallel publicity in the media to develop the
intervention before the intervention is implemented. This study will give insight into a potentially
relevant phase in intervention research which may form the basis for enabling any change and
therefore may impact the level of change in outcomes. The main aim of this study is to test to what
extent these pre-intervention effects exist and contribute to change in targeted outcomes.
Methods
One control condition + one
experimental condition
First, a needs assessment was
conducted following the needs
assessment, the social norms about
drinking among adolescents, rule-
setting by parents, and accessibility of
alcohol, emerged as the most
important and changeable
mechanisms that can influence the
onset of alcohol use of adolescents.
The data resulted in an explanatory
model including important and changeable factors within three domains, i.e., (a) parents
(e.g., rules about alcohol), (b) youth (e.g., norms about alcohol), and (c) repression (e.g.,
lower accessibility of alcohol).
Results
At baseline, the experimental condition differs significantly from the control condition in
terms of more positive norms, less strict rules about alcohol, easier access to alcohol, and
more weekly drinking.
Adolescents in the experimental condition are significantly more likely to report a lower ease
of access to alcohol in formal settings compared to adolescents in the control condition.
Moreover, adolescents in the experimental condition are more likely to have a higher
average weekly drinking level than adolescents in the control condition.
Koning, I. M., van der Rijst, V., de Wit, J. B. F. & de Kock, C. (2021). Pre-intervention effects of a
community-based intervention targeting alcohol use (LEF): the role of participatory research and
publicity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(16), 8823. doi:
10.3390/ijerph18168823........................................................................................................................1
Arthur, M. W. & Blitz, C. (2000). Bridging the gap between science and practice in drug abuse
prevention through needs assessment and strategic community planning. Journal of Community
Psychology, 28(3), 241–255. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1520- 6629(200005)28:33.0.CO;2-X............................4
Movsisyan, A., Arnold, L., Evans, R., Hallingberg, B., Moore, G., O’Cathain, A., 10 Pfadenhauer, L. M.,
Segrott, J. & Rehfuess, E. (2019). Adapting evidence-informed complex population health
interventions for new contexts: a systematic review of guidance. Implementation Science, 14(1), 105.
doi: 10.1186/s13012-019-0956-5...........................................................................................................9
Snijder, M., Calabria, B., Dobbins, T., Knight, A. & Shakeshaft, A. (2018). A need for tailored programs
and policies to reduce rates of alcohol-related crimes for vulnerable communities and young people:
an analysis of routinely collected police data. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 53(5), 578–585. doi:
10.1093/alcalc/agy034.........................................................................................................................13
Koning, I. M., van der Rijst, V., de Wit, J. B. F. & de Kock, C. (2021). Pre-intervention effects of a
community-based intervention targeting alcohol use (LEF): the role of participatory research and
publicity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(16), 8823. doi:
10.3390/ijerph18168823
Introduction
Early-onset alcohol use is an important risk factor for many negative consequences,
therefore, prevention of early alcohol use in adolescents is crucial.
The development and implementation of interventions on alcohol use in adolescents are
complex, as risk factors are multi-faceted, involving a combination of individual, social and
environmental factors, with drinking behaviors influenced by factors from different levels,
i.e., individual factors, parental and peer influence, and alcohol policies.
Considering that factors at multiple levels are relevant, multi-component interventions are
more effective than single-component interventions and can therefore better contribute to
reducing adolescents’ alcohol use.
Community-based interventions are designed to address the complex interplay between
individual behaviors and broader societal influences by involving the community itself and
may be an effective way of reducing alcohol use and related harms.
The aim of community-based interventions is not to intervene on an individual level alone
but to bring stakeholders like policymakers, educators, and regulators, together to influence
this broader environment in which drinking frequently occurs.
A utilitarian model of community participation posits that involvement of the community is
essential because it will improve the effectiveness and sustainability of the resulting
intervention due to it being better in line with the local context and having greater buy-in
from local actors who were involved in the development.
, An empowerment model argues that community participation is an end in itself as it will
directly contribute to community empowerment, which aligns with the vision of health
promotion as set out in the Ottawa Charter (World Health Organization).
‘Pre-intervention’ effects the effects of the development of an intervention while using
co-creation, on relevant outcomes before intervention strategies are implemented. It is likely
that this pre-intervention phase already has an impact on the targeted mechanisms and
outcomes of interest.
This study aims to address this gap by focusing on the process of participatory development of a
community-based intervention aiming to reduce alcohol use amongst adolescents. The
“intervention” for the context of the current study is the participatory research that was undertaken
during the development of the community-based intervention LEF. (The LEF program is a community-
based intervention in the municipality of Edam-Volendam in The Netherlands that aims to delay the
onset of alcohol use and reduce weekly drinking among youth.) It explores whether “pre-intervention
effects” exist, referring to changes in alcohol use and relevant mechanisms amongst adolescents
following the participatory research processes and parallel publicity in the media to develop the
intervention before the intervention is implemented. This study will give insight into a potentially
relevant phase in intervention research which may form the basis for enabling any change and
therefore may impact the level of change in outcomes. The main aim of this study is to test to what
extent these pre-intervention effects exist and contribute to change in targeted outcomes.
Methods
One control condition + one
experimental condition
First, a needs assessment was
conducted following the needs
assessment, the social norms about
drinking among adolescents, rule-
setting by parents, and accessibility of
alcohol, emerged as the most
important and changeable
mechanisms that can influence the
onset of alcohol use of adolescents.
The data resulted in an explanatory
model including important and changeable factors within three domains, i.e., (a) parents
(e.g., rules about alcohol), (b) youth (e.g., norms about alcohol), and (c) repression (e.g.,
lower accessibility of alcohol).
Results
At baseline, the experimental condition differs significantly from the control condition in
terms of more positive norms, less strict rules about alcohol, easier access to alcohol, and
more weekly drinking.
Adolescents in the experimental condition are significantly more likely to report a lower ease
of access to alcohol in formal settings compared to adolescents in the control condition.
Moreover, adolescents in the experimental condition are more likely to have a higher
average weekly drinking level than adolescents in the control condition.
