Maintaining or changing a drinking behavior? GOKA's short-term outcomes

Abstract

Binge drinking of alcohol increases the risk of mental health problems, school exclusion, convictions, fatal and non-fatal accidents. A simple cluster randomized control trial design was used to evaluate a social marketing program, Game On: Know Alcohol (GOKA). Pre and post data were collected for seven programs (942 students, mean age: 14.6 years) and five control schools (578 students, mean age: 14.4 years). Significant improvements in alcohol knowledge and affective attitude toward binge drinking were observed for adolescents who participated in GOKA compared to the control group, with maintenance of desirable subjective norms, instrumental attitudes and intentions. Given considerable external competition from messages promoting the benefits of alcohol use, a one-off program that modifies incorrect knowledge and alters perceptions of binge drinking as a fun, recreational activity represents an important step. This research demonstrates social marketing's capacity to change drivers and maintain inhibitors of binge drinking intentions of adolescents.