NCJ Number
128297
Date Published
1990
Length
12 pages
Annotation
New Zealand's Alcoholic Liquor Advisory Council (ALAC) established the Alcohol Research Unit (ARU) to focus on primary prevention. The ARU's Community Action Project (CAP) took place from October 1982 to March 1985.
Abstract
CAP included a paid mass media campaign and a community organization program. A quasiexperimental design was employed to evaluate CAP, in which two cities served as reference cities, four cities were exposed to the mass media campaign, and two of the four cities also participated in a community organization program. A major objective of community organizers was to increase the level of support for healthy public policies at the individual level. At the community level, CAP aimed to increase appropriate community organizational responses and media coverage of alcohol policy issues. Various activities were initiated to promote healthy living such as nonalcoholic cocktail competitions, publication of pamphlets with recipes for nonalcoholic drinks, community fun days, and sports activities. The mass media campaign focused primarily on the traditional target of drinking by young males. CAP evaluation documented the feasibility of using a community organization approach to generate discussion and action concerning alcohol policy issues. The mass media's appeal to the target group and the extent of community support were also documented. The decrease in apparent organizational commitment to CAP following the end of the experimental program was partially explained by changes in the social and political climate and by structural and personnel changes imposed on the ALAC organization. 15 references