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Online wagering has expanded significantly in recent decades and has emerged as a serious public health issue. Research investigating online wagering has predominantly used quantitative methods to explore the determinants that influence young men's engagement with these products, with fewer qualitative insights. Social practice theory offers a framework in which to qualitatively analyse how online wagering practices are shaped, modified, and evolve. This study explored the online wagering practices of sixteen, 18–24 year old, young men, in Victoria, Australia. In-depth, qualitative interviews explored the contexts and motivations in their early and current wagering practices and the influence of social and structural conditions. Data were interpreted using a reflexive approach to thematic analysis. The data were theoretically conceptualised through a social practice lens, focusing on materials, meanings, and competencies. Materials included social networks and spaces, and wagering infrastructure and marketing. Meanings encompassed peer belongingness and bonding. Perceived competencies included an exaggerated confidence that influenced the type of gambling chosen and perceived spending strategies to achieve financial gain. Importantly, these three elements intersected to form a bundle of wagering practices. Interrupting the interconnection of these bundles may form the basis of public health intervention. Public health research must also continue to monitor how online wagering practices evolve and change in response to a range of interacting determinants and move away from a focus on the individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gambling is an inherently risky activity. New technologies have led to the development of new, online forms of gambling such as sports betting, with round the clock availability and accessibility. While young men have been identified as a group that may be particularly vulnerable to the harms associated with these new online products, few studies have qualitatively explored young men's perceptions of the risks associated with these products. Using concepts associated with the sociology of risk, this paper sought to explore the range of factors that may influence how 18-24 year old young Australian men conceptualise the risks associated with sports betting.Methods: Using a critical qualitative inquiry approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with sixteen participants in Victoria, Australia, who engaged in sports betting at least monthly. The data interpreted for this study included questions relating to awareness of gambling, the contexts associated with early gambling experiences; the factors that influenced current gambling behaviours, and why they engaged in gambling. A reflexive approach to thematic analysis was used to interpreted themes from the data.Results: Four key themes were constructed from the data relating to the factors that influenced risk perceptions. These included: 1) 'The role of early experiences', including exposure to gambling advertising in sport, and the gambling behaviours of social networks; 2) 'The influence of peer rivalry and competition', in which sports betting was used to form connections within and across peer groups; 3) 'The normalisation of gambling', including the embedding of gambling in everyday activities; and 4) 'The influence of perceptions of knowledge, skill, and control', including the belief that they could engage in responsible behaviours and stop gambling if they needed to.Conclusion: This study indicated that a range of factors may influence how young men conceptualise the risks and benefits associated with sports betting. Current public health strategies for gambling that focus on individual determinants and responsibility paradigms must be broadened to target the social and commercial factors that influence young men's attitudes towards, and engagement in sports betting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Many community sporting clubs in Australia sell alcohol, but many do not comply with laws that require verification of age and forbid underage alcohol sales. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an intervention that incorporated sales monitoring and community awareness raising to improve compliance with alcohol service regulations in community sporting clubs. Methods: Non‐randomised community trial in 'matched' intervention and comparison communities. A total of 50 sporting clubs from two metropolitan and two regional areas in Victoria, Australia, were selected, and baseline and follow‐up purchase observations completed during 2018. Youth who looked underage were monitored as they attempted to purchase alcohol. Intervention clubs received feedback letters regarding staff sales behaviour. Other intervention actions included building awareness of underage supply of alcohol and media coverage of baseline observations. Results: Observations were completed at 46 clubs (intervention = 24; comparison = 22) at baseline and 39 (intervention = 24; comparison = 15) at follow up. Compliance was low but improved at follow up for both groups for age verification (intervention +12.5%; comparison +8.5%) and non‐supply of alcohol (intervention +12.5%; comparison +10.6%); but no significant intervention effects were found. Discussion and Conclusions: Findings indicated low compliance with age verification checks and underage alcohol sales laws at baseline. Promising improvements in compliance were observed at follow up; however, 'spillover' of intervention activities may have compromised ability to detect significant intervention effects. Further intervention effort and evaluation is recommended to encourage alcohol sales compliance in community sporting clubs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, youth crime is a significant social problem. Violent youth crime has been rising over the past decade in the state of Victoria, Australia. Communities That Care (CTC) is a coalition training process designed to prevent youth crime. There has been limited evaluation outside the USA. Using a non-experimental design, this study employed official state crime statistics to evaluate the impact on crime as the five-phase CTC process was implemented between 2010 and 2019 across communities in Victoria. The standard five-phase CTC implementation cycle was supplemented with universal programs to reduce sales and supply of alcohol to underage youth (under 18 years). Growth models evaluated community trends in youth crime (all, person, property and deception and other), comparing communities that implemented CTC at phase 4 or greater with communities that had not implemented CTC. In accord with the hypotheses, the study found significant reductions in crimes associated with CTC over the period between 2010 and 2019. A 2% annual reduction in risk was observed for crimes against persons for all age groups (IRR = 0.98, 95% CI [0.96, 0.998]). A 5% annual reduction was observed for crimes of property and deception for adolescents aged between 10 and 17 years (IRR = 0.95, 95% CI [0.90, 0.99]). These findings support CTC as an intervention for preventing youth crime at a population level. Future studies should evaluate intervention mechanisms and economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to the supply of alcohol is an important factor influencing adolescent alcohol consumption. Although alcohol sales outlets are prohibited from selling alcohol to underage youth, there has been limited research investigating compliance. The present study sought to estimate the extent to which adolescents that appeared underage were successfully able to purchase alcohol from packaged liquor outlets in Australia; and to identify store and sales characteristics associated with illegal purchasing. In 2012, purchase surveys were conducted (n = 310) at packaged liquor outlets in 28 urban and rural communities across three states of Australia: Western Australia, Queensland and Victoria. Confederates successfully purchased alcohol at 60% (95% CI: 55-66) of outlets. The density of general alcohol outlets in the surrounding area and the type of liquor outlet were predictors of successful alcohol purchases; however, this was moderated by the state in which the purchase was made. Regional geographical location was also found to predict underage alcohol purchase. The majority of alcohol sales outlets in Australia breach regulations prohibiting sales to underage youth. Consistent enforcement of policies across the states of Australia, and reducing the number of alcohol outlets, will help prevent alcohol outlets illegally selling alcohol to underage adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study examines the relationship between diet quality and health-related quality of life ( HRQoL) in rural and urban Australian adolescents, and gender differences. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Secondary schools. Participants 722 rural and 422 urban students from 19 secondary schools. Main outcome measures Self-report dietary-related behaviours, demographic information, HRQoL ( AQoL-6D) were collected. Healthy and unhealthy diet quality scores were calculated; multiple linear regression investigated associations between diet quality and HRQoL. Results Compared to urban students, rural students had higher HRQoL, higher healthy diet score, lower unhealthy diet score, consumed less soft drink and less frequently, less takeaway and a higher proportion consumed breakfast (P < 0.05). Overall, males had higher unhealthy diet score, poorer dietary behaviours but a higher HRQoL score compared to females (P < 0.05). In all students, final regression models indicated: a unit increase in healthy diet score was associated with an increase in HRQoL (unstandardised coefficient(B)±standard error( SE); B = 0.02 ± 0.01( SE); P < 0.02); and a unit increase in unhealthy diet scores was associated with a decrease in HRQoL (−0.01 ± 0.00; P < 0.05). In rural students alone, a unit increase in unhealthy diet score was associated with a decrease in HRQoL (B = −0.01 ± 0.00; P = 0.002), and in urban students a unit increase in healthy diet score was associated with an increase in HRQoL (B = 0.02 ± 0.00; P < 0.001). Conclusions Cross-sectional associations between diet quality and HRQoL were observed. Dietary modification may offer a target to improve HRQoL and general well-being; and consequently the prevention and treatment of adolescent health problems. Such interventions should consider gender and locality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting a link between sport participation and violent behavior outside of the sporting context. However, there have been few studies that have investigated the basis of this relationship. The current study examined longitudinal relationships between sport participation, problem alcohol use, and various violent behaviors, and whether sport participation moderates relationships between problem alcohol use and violence. The sample comprised 2,262 young adults (55% female, age range at Time 1 = 17-24 years) from Victoria, Australia, surveyed in 2010 and 2012. When controlling for common risk factors, substance use, and past violence, sport participation was not associated with any violent behaviors 2 years later. However, sport participation moderated the relationship between problem alcohol use and fighting, whereby problem alcohol use was associated with engaging in fights 2 years later for sport participants, but not for nonparticipants. These findings suggest that it is not sport participation per se that influences later violence but the drinking norms or culture embedded within certain sporting contexts. Prevention approaches that address the drinking culture and social approval of excessive alcohol consumption within sporting contexts may reduce the incidence of violent behavior in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Objective A previously successful community-based obesity prevention intervention with a focus on school settings was expanded into new communities with varying contexts. In order to understand the complexities involved in implementing health promotion activities in schools, this study examined experiences of school staff and project officers including barriers, contextual factors and achievements. Methods School environment assessments were conducted in schools across four Victorian communities with school staff ( n = 1–5 staff plus a trained researcher per group in 9 primary and 8 secondary schools) 12–18 months post-intervention. Process reports from project officers were also reviewed and analysed ( n = 4). Results School staff commonly reported time pressures as a barrier to implementation and project officers working within schools reported competing priorities and limited health promotion experience of staff; lack of stakeholder engagement; low participation in some activities and insufficient implementation time. Contextual factors included community socioeconomic status, student ethnicity and living rurally. Achievements included student and staff enjoyment from programme activities, staff capacity building, partnerships, embedding activities into existing infrastructure and programmes, and having consistent health-related messages repeated through a variety of strategies. Conclusions Community-based interventions with a focus on school settings need to consider system level, organisational and contextual (i.e. socioeconomic, ethnicity, family and town characteristics) factors when expanding previously effective strategies into new communities. Implementation benefits may have added whole of school benefits in addition to child health. Focussing on overcoming the challenges experienced in this complex initiative is required for future interventions. Trial registration ACTRN12609000892213. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the association of weight perception and weight satisfaction with body change intentions and weight-related behaviours in 928 overweight adolescents (aged 11–18 years, 44% female). Accurate perception of weight was associated with trying to lose weight and inaccurate perception was associated with trying to gain muscle. Weight dissatisfaction was associated with trying to lose weight and gain muscle. Accurate weight perception and weight dissatisfaction were not associated with healthy weight-related behaviours. Awareness of overweight and body dissatisfaction may be detrimental to the adoption of healthy weight-control behaviours. Interventions with overweight adolescents should encourage body satisfaction, rather than promoting awareness of overweight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of greater awareness of the need for action to reduce obesity, the evidence on sustainable community approaches to prevent childhood and adolescent obesity is surprisingly sparse. This paper describes the design and methodological components of the Sentinel Site for Obesity Prevention, a demonstration site in the Barwon-South West region of Victoria, Australia, that aims to build the programs, skills and evidence necessary to attenuate and eventually reverse the obesity epidemic in children and adolescents. The Sentinel Site for Obesity Prevention is based on a partnership between the region's university (Deakin University) and its health, education and local government agencies. The three basic foundations of the Sentinel Site are: multi-strategy, multi-setting interventions; building community capacity; and undertaking program evaluations and population monitoring. Three intervention projects have been supported that cover different age groups (preschool: 2-5 years, primary school: 5-12 years, secondary school: 13-17 years), but that have many characteristics in common including: community participation and ownership of the project; an intervention duration of at least 3 years; and full evaluations with impact (behaviours) and outcome measures (anthropometry) compared with regionally representative comparison populations. We recommend the Sentinel Site approach to others for successfully building evidence for childhood obesity prevention and stimulating action on reducing the epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]