Alcohol action in rural communities project (AARC)

• Reach:

  NSW

• Focus area:

  Mainstream with Indigenous content

• Status:

  Completed

• Evaluated:

  Yes

• Time frame:

  1 July 2005 - 1 November 2012

Overview

The Alcohol action in rural communities project (AARC) was a research project designed to evaluate the effectiveness of community based action in reducing alcohol-related harm. A range of strategies were employed in ten communities across rural New South Wales. Thirteen individually tailored, community-action strategies were implemented systematically over five years.

Strategies included:

• provision of workplace alcohol policies and training
• implementing the Good sports program
• police identifying and targeting high risk weekends
• provision of interactive information sessions about alcohol in high schools
• screening and brief interventions employed by a range of services such as GPs, health services, pharmacies and hospital emergency departments.

The combined effect of these strategies was assessed against ten control communities using a randomised controlled trial design and a cost-benefit analysis as part of the evaluation method. A report on the results of the project was published in November 2012.

The AARC project was a partnership between local communities, government agencies, and the universities of New South Wales and Newcastle with funding provided by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education.

Abstract adapted from Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education

Contacts

Anthony Shakeshaft
Associate Professor
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre
University of New South Wales
32 King Street
Randwick NSW 2031
Ph: (02) 9385 0333
Fax: (02) 9385 0222

Evaluated publications

Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (2012)

The Alcohol Action in Rural Communities (AARC) project.

Canberra: Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education

This report presents the findings from the Alcohol action in rural communities project (AARC) conducted in 2005 - 2012. It evaluated the effectiveness of community action approaches to reducing risky alcohol consumption and related-harms in 10 communities across rural New South Wales, using 13 tailored strategies implemented over 5 years.

The project demonstrated that the benefits of implementing community action outweigh the associated costs of such action. Findings included:

• 24% reduction in alcohol-related street offences
• 8% reduction in assaults
• 31% reduction of short-term high-risk drinkers.

The AARC project was a partnership between local communities, local government, government agencies, the Universities of New South Wales and Newcastle, and the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), with funding provided by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE).

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

• Links
• View report: The Alcohol Action in Rural Communities (AARC) project (PDF - 2.5 MB)
• View report: The Alcohol Action in Rural Communities (AARC) project overview (PDF - 1.5 MB)
• View information: The Alcohol Action in Rural Communities (AARC) project
• View website: Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education

Links

• View information: Alcohol action in rural communities (AARC)
• View website: Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education