TY - JOUR
T1 - Effective school-based preventive interventions for alcohol use in Africa
T2 - A systematic review
AU - Tomokawa, Sachi
AU - Miyake, Kimihiro
AU - Akiyama, Takeshi
AU - Makino, Yuka
AU - Nishio, Akihiro
AU - Kobayashi, Jun
AU - Jimba, Masamine
AU - Ayi, Irene
AU - Njenga, Sammy M.
AU - Asakura, Takashi
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Tomokawa S et al. Licensee African Health Sciences.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Background: Despite recognition of the risks of alcohol use and importance of prevention from an early age, the effectiveness of school-based interventions in Africa has not been clarified. Objective: We aimed to identify effective school-based alcohol use prevention interventions in Africa. Methods: We searched eight databases for peer-reviewed articles published until February 3, 2019 that reported on randomized controlled trials, cluster randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, pre-post quasi-experimental studies, cohort studies, and case-control studies. The full-texts of relevant studies were searched. Results: Four of 2797 papers met our eligibility criteria. All reported interventions targeted secondary school students in South Africa and were incorporated in the school curriculum. The interventions comprised multi-component activities with participatory and peer educational methods, and applied modified programs originally developed in the US. However, intervention effects were inconsistent among studies, although the interventions tended to have a positive effect on non-drinkers at baseline, with stronger effects in girls. Conclusion: interventions had positive effects on students that were non-drinkers at baseline, especially girls. Although we could not find robust evidence that school-based interventions changed attitudes, frequency/quantity of drinking, and intentions to use alcohol, one intervention showed an increase in students’ alcohol refusal self-efficacy.
AB - Background: Despite recognition of the risks of alcohol use and importance of prevention from an early age, the effectiveness of school-based interventions in Africa has not been clarified. Objective: We aimed to identify effective school-based alcohol use prevention interventions in Africa. Methods: We searched eight databases for peer-reviewed articles published until February 3, 2019 that reported on randomized controlled trials, cluster randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, pre-post quasi-experimental studies, cohort studies, and case-control studies. The full-texts of relevant studies were searched. Results: Four of 2797 papers met our eligibility criteria. All reported interventions targeted secondary school students in South Africa and were incorporated in the school curriculum. The interventions comprised multi-component activities with participatory and peer educational methods, and applied modified programs originally developed in the US. However, intervention effects were inconsistent among studies, although the interventions tended to have a positive effect on non-drinkers at baseline, with stronger effects in girls. Conclusion: interventions had positive effects on students that were non-drinkers at baseline, especially girls. Although we could not find robust evidence that school-based interventions changed attitudes, frequency/quantity of drinking, and intentions to use alcohol, one intervention showed an increase in students’ alcohol refusal self-efficacy.
KW - Africa
KW - Alcohol use
KW - School-based preventive interventions
KW - Systematic review
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85092222008&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.4314/ahs.v20i3.45
DO - 10.4314/ahs.v20i3.45
M3 - Review article
C2 - 33402988
AN - SCOPUS:85092222008
SN - 1680-6905
VL - 20
SP - 1397
EP - 1406
JO - African Health Sciences
JF - African Health Sciences
IS - 3
ER -