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Background: Considerable attention has been focused on the impact of young people's alcohol use. To address this, schools often implement alcohol and drug education and there are many potential programmes to choose from. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify evidence-based alcohol education programmes for schools. Methods: A systematic review was undertaken of school-based programmes that targeted alcohol within a school setting and included at least one alcohol behaviour or knowledge change outcome. Six-hundred seventy-five abstracts were screened resulting in 454 studies assessed for eligibility, with 70 studies, evaluating 40 individual programmes, included in the final review. Results: Of the 40 programmes, 3 had good evidence of a positive effect. They included CLIMATE Schools (Australia), Project ALERT (USA) and All Stars (USA). Of the others, 4 showed some evidence of positive effect, 1 had no evidence of effect, 29 were inconclusive and 2 showed negative outcomes, such as increases in alcohol use. Although many programmes were evaluated, very few had sufficient evidence to be able to endorse their widespread implementation in schools. Conclusion: Three programmes included in the review had sufficient positive outcomes to be recommended for implementation, and four showed good outcomes in some areas. Schools should consider these results when deciding on introducing alcohol education. Overall, the evidence base is broad but relatively weak and further research is required, focusing on programmes identified as having good or potentially good outcomes.

Aims: Workforce entry is a key transition period. It offers an ideal, but under-utilised opportunity to implement intervention strategies to prevent mental health and substance use problems among young people. A brief psychological wellbeing and substance use intervention targeting a high-risk group--apprentice chefs--was undertaken to explore this opportunity. Method: A RCT design (N ¼ 71) was used. The intervention group received two face-to-face sessions, and controls received five related information sheets during the first 2 weeks of training, with 4-month follow-up. Results: These apprentices were a high-risk group for alcohol and other drug harm and poor psychological wellbeing. At T1, 70% of the participants had AUDIT scores indicating problem drinking; 28% had used cannabis and 18% had used amphetamines in the last 12 months; and 24% had high K10 scores. At T2, the intervention group had significantly reduced risky alcohol use (p = 0.008), improved psychological distress (p = 0.045) and ability to talk with supervisors about work issues (p = 0.001) and cope with work stress (p = 0.001) and verbal abuse (p = 0.005), compared to the control group. Conclusions: Brief tailored interventions, delivered in an occupational training environment, have potential to reduce substance use risk and enhance young workers' psychological wellbeing.

Australian vocational education and training (VET) has undergone major reforms since the 1990s, including the introduction of competency based training (CBT) and the "streamlining" of qualifications. This paper examines the impact of these reforms, using the alcohol and other drugs sector as a case illustration. A survey of alcohol and other drugs training providers was conducted to explore their views on course quality, content and delivery. Descriptive quantitative and qualitative analyses were undertaken to identify the impact of reforms on training delivery. It was found that CBT and streamlining, whilst having some benefits, were perceived to contribute to inconsistent course quality, content, delivery and assessment, and to result in generic qualifications which may not adequately meet industry need for specialist workers. Findings highlight the impact of VET reforms on industry specific training, and indicate that recent reforms have not fully succeeded in increasing training quality. Recommendations for improvement are identified.

Patterns, prevalence and predictors of past year cannabis use were examined by industry and occupation groups through secondary analyses of Australia's triennial National Drug Strategy Household Surveys (2010, 2013, 2016, 2019). Frequency analyses examined cannabis prevalence. Logistic regression models estimated adjusted effects of demographics on cannabis use amongst employees overall, and within industries and occupations where prevalence differed from the employed national average. Workers' cannabis use increased 17.4% between 2010 and 2019. Workers most likely to use cannabis in all models were male, smokers, aged 14–24 years, and with very high psychological distress levels. Prevalence was highest among trade workers (18.2%) and those in Arts and Recreation Services (26.6%). The greatest relative increases occurred in industries where prevalence levels were traditionally very low. To date, cannabis-related workplace policies and interventions have been predicated on any level of use being potentially risky. However, greater social acceptability, more lenient legal constraints, and increased medicinal use of cannabis necessitates approaches that reflect changing social norms and address the needs of workers vulnerable to harm. Findings highlight the importance of reconceptualizing risk mitigation strategies and implementing novel and effective prevention, intervention approaches and policies tailored to specific workforce settings and populations with differing risk profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This article presents a critical review of research on health professionals' attitudes towards alcohol and other drug (AOD)-related work relevant to both researchers and practitioners. It moves beyond education and training programs to examine the relevance of organizational culture in influencing attitudes. Method: A review of research conducted on health professionals' attitudes towards AOD-related work, and strategies to develop positive attitudes was undertaken. Findings: 12 evidence-based tenets were identified in regard to attitudes towards AOD-related work. Key findings include the importance of professional attitudes related to confidence and perceived legitimacy of responding, and personal attitudes related to social justice concerns. Education/training and role support were identified as important evidence-based strategies to develop and support positive attitudes. Conclusion: To foster development of positive attitudes and effective responses in regard to AOD-related work a focus that extends beyond the individual worker is required. Education and training are a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to ensure health professionals' capacity and willingness to respond to AOD issues. Research on organizational culture provides valuable insight into the types of organizational and systems factors likely to influence AOD-related attitudes and work practice. Key strategies to develop an organizational culture supportive of AOD-related work and future research areas are highlighted. (Contains 3 tables.)