Good day Neil
You posed a question:
"I would be very interested to hear what approaches work to promote understanding of the harms of alcohol, especially among young people. How can they be better informed?"
In my opinion when we seek out to educate young people about the harms of alcohol, it would be critical to
1. Create a safe space in which information can be freely exchanged with young people. I think it is important to establish what they know or believe and use this information as a guide of how to package information and approach the conversation
2. Peer to peer education is an approach that can be used
3. Some young people accept better information that comes from persons with lived experience
From my personal experience I have found that young people are better engaged on the sidelines of events they love, for example, at sports fixtures. The environment in which we engage them has an impact on how well we can communicate with them.
Also, when we design our interventions it may be critical to let the young people be part of the process from the onset - it is important to give them a voice.
Regards,
Venus Mushininga
HIFA profile: Venus Mushininga is a pharmacist with the Ministry of Health and Childcare in Zimbabwe. She is a founder and President of the Zimbabwe Society of Oncology Pharmacy and the Zimbabwean delegate to the European Society of Oncology Pharmacy. Professional interests: Oncology, Dissemination of information through to Health Professionals and the public, Research. vmushininga AT gmail.com
