Search

Objectives: Formative evaluation is critical in maximising the implementation strategies and processes of interventions. It is also critical to both providing contextual explanations for and maximising the success of such interventions. The purpose of this study was to undertake a comprehensive formative evaluation of the implementation process of a multi-component, sports-based mental health program for adolescent males ("Ahead of the Game"). Methods: Primary outcomes included program reach, dose, fidelity and cost during initial piloting and two distinct implementation phases. The iterative formative evaluation process provided opportunities to adapt the program and its implementation strategy to optimise reach, dose and fidelity relative to implementation cost. Results: Formative evaluation data showed that the program failed to achieve optimal reach in the initial pilot phase (Phase I), with low doses of the program received by stakeholders, and moderate fidelity. Bottom up implementation strategies improved dose and club ownership during Phase II but resulted in high costs and lower fidelity and was associated with implementation staff retention and management issues. Phase III with more streamlined staffing and club integrated implementation resulted in high reach, dose, fidelity and club ownership and an associated reduction in implementation cost per participant. Conclusion: Formative evaluation succeeded in maximising the Ahead of the Game program engagement over three distinct phases. Results are salient for informing cost-effective implementation strategies for sports-based health promotion.

2018 The Author(s). Background: There is a recognised need for targeted community-wide mental health strategies and interventions aimed specifically at prevention and early intervention in promoting mental health. Young males are a high need group who hold particularly negative attitudes towards mental health services, and these views are detrimental for early intervention and help-seeking. Organised sports provide a promising context to deliver community-wide mental health strategies and interventions to adolescent males. The aim of the Ahead of the Game program is to test the effectiveness of a multi-component, community-sport based program targeting prevention, promotion and early intervention for mental health among adolescent males. Methods: The Ahead of the Game program will be implemented within a sample drawn from community sporting clubs and evaluated using a sample drawn from a matched control community. Four programs are proposed, including two targeting adolescents, one for parents, and one for sports coaches. One adolescent program aims to increase mental health literacy, intentions to seek and/or provide help for mental health, and to decrease stigmatising attitudes. The second adolescent program aims to increase resilience. The goal of the parent program is to increase parental mental health literacy and confidence to provide help. The coach program is intended to increase coaches' supportive behaviours (e.g., autonomy supportive behaviours), and in turn facilitate high-quality motivation and wellbeing among adolescents. Programs will be complemented by a messaging campaign aimed at adolescents to enhance mental health literacy. The effects of the program on adolescent males' psychological distress and wellbeing will also be explored. Discussion: Organised sports represent a potentially engaging avenue to promote mental health and prevent the onset of mental health problems among adolescent males. The community-based design, with samples drawn from an

The prevalence of mental health problems among adolescents is alarmingly high. With lower rates of accessing services than young women, young men and boys represent a group at high risk of developing mental health problems. Organised sport represents one important, but under-studied, avenue for supporting mental health. This study aimed to explore adolescent males' perspectives on sport as a context for supporting mental health. Design Interpretivist qualitative design. Method Participants were 55 adolescent males aged 12–17 years (M = 14.73; SD = 1.67) who were currently participating in organised basketball, soccer, Australian Rules Football, swimming, cricket, or tennis. Sixteen focus groups were conducted which lasted, on average, 48 min (SD = 9.25). Data were analysed inductively and thematically, with strategies employed to enhance rigour and trustworthiness. Results Findings indicated that these adolescent males perceived sport to be an engaging vehicle for supporting mental health, particularly in teams, and through interest in elite athletes' mental health. They considered coaches and parents/family to be key support individuals. In addition, these adolescents expressed a need to know how to help individuals close to them who may be struggling with a mental health issue. Finally, the participants perceived the need for resources to prevent and cope with mental health issues. Conclusion This study suggests that sport is a promising, and potentially engaging avenue for supporting mental health. Adolescents perceive need for clubs, parents, and coaches to develop knowledge around mental health, and in particular, desire strategies for providing help.

Chlamydia trachomatis is one of the most frequently reported sexually transmitted infections (STI) in Australia, the UK and Europe. Yet, rates of screening for STIs remain low, especially in younger adults. Objective: To assess effectiveness of Chlamydia screening interventions targeting young adults in community-based settings, describe strategies utilized and assess them according to social marketing benchmark criteria. Search strategy: A systematic review of relevant literature between 2002 and 2012 in Medline, Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Scopus and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health was undertaken. Results: Of 18 interventions identified, quality of evidence was low. Proportional screening rates varied, ranging from: 30.9 to 62.5% in educational settings (n = 4), 4.8 to 63% in media settings (n = 6) and from 5.7 to 44.5% in other settings (n = 7). Assessment against benchmark criteria found that interventions incorporating social marketing principles were more likely to achieve positive results, yet few did this comprehensively. Most demonstrated customer orientation and addressed barriers to presenting to a clinic for screening. Only one addressed barriers to presenting for treatment after a positive result. Promotional messages typically focused on providing facts and accessing a testing kit. Risk assessment tools appeared to promote screening among higher risk groups. Few evaluated treatment rates following positive results; therefore, impact of screening on treatment rates remains unknown. Discussion: Future interventions should consider utilizing a comprehensive social marketing approach, using formative research to increase insight and segmentation and tailoring of screening interventions. Easy community access to both screening and treatment should be prioritized.

The adolescent demographic is signifi cantly different in how it perceives and performs sun protection; it therefore needs interventions which acknowledge this difference, developing messages and strategies to minimize the barriers to sun protection and providing salient benefi ts that can be realized in the short rather than long term.

of paper that was presented at 2013 Australia New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference.

There is a strong social norm against consuming alcohol during pregnancy. However, many women do not realise they are pregnant until the sixth week and are not provided with information about the risks of consuming alcohol until they visit a health professional in the second trimester. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 midwives and 12 pregnant women from two regions inNSWin 2008–09 to explore attitudes towards alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and the factors that may encourage or inhibit women from following the recommendation to abstain from drinking while pregnant. Both groups noted the social issues around pregnant women consuming alcohol due to perceived social norms and the challenges in not revealing early pregnancy status at social events.

The number of Australians over the age of 65 years is expected to double by 2021. Many older Australians suffer from one or more chronic diseases - including cancer, coronary heart disease, respiratory diseases (AIHW, 2009) resulting in increased morbidity and mortality, lower quality of life and a higher need for health care (Hickey and Stilwell, 1991). There is increasing evidence that the adoption of healthy lifestyles can have significant benefits even into older age (Haveman-Nies et al, 2002). This project utilized a social marketing framework to support aged residents of retirement homes to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviours to improve their health.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are lifelong developmental disabilities characterised by marked difficulties in social interaction, impaired communication, restricted and repetitive interests and behaviours, and sensory sensitivities (Aspect 2009). While there is considerable debate as to prevalence, Centrelink data shows an estimated prevalence of 62.5 per 10,000 for 6-12 year old children (McDermott et al. 2007). While young children find social situations aversive and prefer to play alone, as these children reach their teens many desire social contact with their peers but lack the ability to form and maintain friendships. Observations in schools demonstrate peer interaction in children with ASDs is of lower frequency and poorer quality than peer counterparts (Aspect 2012). The standard approach has been to work on social skills development with the ASD child and/or to educate teachers and support workers in social interaction facilitation. However, these approaches ignore the central element of peer relationships - the need for both parties to better understand each other and develop skills in communicating in a way that is acceptable and understandable to the other. There is a small body of evidence that disclosure of an ASD diagnosis and peer education can increase acceptance by peers (Dowjotas, 2009) although there are no published studies on interventions in schools (Keane, 2007).

Background the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recently revised its guidelines for alcohol consumption during pregnancy and breast feeding, moving from a recommendation of minimising intake to one of abstinence. Women are potentially exposed to a variety of messages about alcohol and pregnancy, including from the media and social contacts, and are likely to see midwives as the source of expert advice in understanding these contradictory messages. Objective to explore the advice that midwives believe they give to pregnant women about alcohol consumption, and the advice that pregnant women believe they receive; the knowledge and attitudes of both groups regarding alcohol consumption and the consistency with the NHMRC guidelines; and the receptivity and comfort of both groups in discussing alcohol consumption in the context of antenatal appointments. Design individual semi-structured interviews with midwives and pregnant women. Setting face-to-face interviews with midwives and telephone interviews with pregnant women were conducted in two regional areas of New South Wales in 2008–2009. Participants 12 midwives and 12 pregnant women. Findings midwives and pregnant women consistently agreed that conversations about alcohol are generally limited to brief screening questions at the first visit, and the risks are not discussed or explained (except for high-risk women). Key conclusions both groups expressed comfort with the idea of discussing alcohol consumption, but lacked knowledge of the risk and recommendation, and it appears that this opportunity to provide women with information is under-utilised. Implications for practice there is a need to provide midwives with accurate information about the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and effective communication tools to encourage them to discuss the risks and recommendations with their patients.

This presentation focuses on the development and testing of a communication campaign, which was part of a comprehensive intervention implemented in a New South Wales, Australia community. The aim was to position sun protection as an appearance- and health- enhancing behavior that fits easily within the lifestyle of adolescents and young adults. The process evaluation suggested the campaign was well-received among adolescents and that re-branding sun protection as an appearance-enhancing (rather than cancer-preventing) behavior worked.

Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world, outnumbering all other forms of cancer by more than 3 to 1. Adolescents engage in fewer sun protective strategies than adults (Dobbinson and Hill, 2004); and sun protective behaviours among Australian adolescents are worsening (Livingstone and White, 2003; Beckmann and Conor, 2004). The decline begins in pre-adolescence, troughs around 15 to 17 years, and improves with the move into young adulthood (Coogan et al., 2001; Sjoberg et al., 2004; Schofield and Freeman, 2001).