Journal article
An Aboriginal community-led approach to reducing alcohol-related harm: A multiple baseline, stepped wedge evaluation
Public Health in Practice, Vol.11, pp.1-9
2026
PMID: 41858785
Abstract
Objectives
Three Aboriginal communities in regional Australia led the development and implementation of a community-based program aimed at: i) reducing alcohol-related criminal incidents; and ii) improving community perceptions of community safety and empowerment.
Study design
A multiple baseline, stepped-wedge evaluation.
Methods
The co-designed program comprised community-specific activities to operationalise three core components that were standardised across all communities: i) improving service engagement; ii) promoting community activities; and iii) increasing community members’ empowerment for action. Outcome measures were de-identified crime data (persons of interest and victims from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2017) and pre/post community surveys.
Results
Statistically significant improvements in perceptions of alcohol harm were reported in all three communities: i) community 1 significantly increased community empowerment; ii) community 2 reported significantly less alcohol-related verbal abuse and injuries, and feeling significantly safer during the day and at night; and iii) community 3 reported feeling significantly safer at night. There were no statistically significant reductions in alcohol-related crime.
Conclusion
This is the first Aboriginal-specific, community-based project in Australia to use a multiple baseline, stepped-wedge evaluation design and an innovative program logic model. Future research could seek to uncover the mechanisms associated with different program impacts on different outcomes and in different communities, and seek to sustain impacts over longer timeframes.
Details
- Title
- An Aboriginal community-led approach to reducing alcohol-related harm: A multiple baseline, stepped wedge evaluation
- Authors
- Mieke Snijder - Institute of Development StudiesAnnemarie Wagemakers - Wageningen University & ResearchBianca Calabria - Australian National UniversityBonita Byrne - UNSW SydneyJamie O'Neill - National Drug and Alcohol Research CentreRonald Bamblett - UNSW SydneyChiara Stone - UNSW SydneyAlice Munro - Western NSW Local Health DistrictChristopher Oldmeadow - Hunter Medical Research InstituteSimon Chiu - The University of SydneyAnthony Shakeshaft (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
- Publication details
- Public Health in Practice, Vol.11, pp.1-9
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.puhip.2025.100689
- ISSN
- 2666-5352
- PMID
- 41858785
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The Royal Society for Public Health. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Grant note
- This research was funded by the New South Wales Ministry of Health and author MS received a PhD scholarship from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Psychology
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991228952802621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health