Meet us where we are: non-Indigenous young peoples’ ideas on how to reduce alcohol-related harm in Mparntwe (Alice Springs)

Objective

This research sought to understand the strategies young people in a remote central Australian town believed would reduce alcohol-related harms amongst their peers.

Methods

A total of 38 non-Indigenous residents of Mparntwe (Alice Springs), aged between 14 and 18 years, participated in focus groups at their school. Participants discussed strategies they thought would reduce alcohol-related harms among people their age. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

Participants suggested that young peoples’ drinking behaviour developed with peers. Through social learning in peer groups, drinking alcohol was perceived as fun and normal. Participants indicated a willingness to learn about strategies to stay safe around alcohol. Their ideas for doing so reflected their existing social methods of learning about alcohol: having comfortable conversations and storytelling with a small group of peers and a relatable role model.

Conclusions

Young residents of Mparntwe (Alice Springs) advised that alcohol-related harm reduction strategies would be most effective if focussed on safety, rather than abstinence, and applied social-learning strategies.

Implications for Public Health

Young people value their burgeoning self-determination. Youth health interventions must engage youth in intervention co-design and aim to assist young people to make safer decisions, rather than making decisions on their behalf.