Reducing binge drinking in adolescent males

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an orofacial trauma-based brief intervention, designed to raise adolescent males' awareness about the immediate dangers of binge drinking. Design: Non-randomised controlled exploratory trial. Setting: Secondary level schools. Materials & methods: Pre, post and follow up validated questionnaires were used to assess a variety of descriptive data and changes in behaviour. Sixty Year 12 students were recruited in the pilot study and 182 in the definitive study. Intervention: A brief visual presentation containing salient information and anonymised photographs relating to orofacial injuries. Main outcome measures: Intention to binge drink. Results: The majority of participants obtained alcohol from off-license or licensed premises. At the commencement of the study, 68% of the participants were regular drinkers. Whilst there was no change in drinking behaviour, the intervention group reported that it was significantly more likely (compared to the control group) that they would reduce their drinking to less than binge levels. Conclusion: The intervention resulted in participants reporting a more negative attitude towards binge drinking and increased their intention to disengage from binge drinking.