David Foxcroft

Oxford Brookes University · Division of Psychology

Background Universal, school-based behaviour management interventions can produce meaningful improvements in children’s behaviour and other outcomes. However, the UK evidence base for these remains limited. Objective The objective of this trial was to investigate the impact, value for money and longer-term outcomes of the Good Behaviour Game. Stud...

Aims: The aim of this paper was to explore responses to alcohol health information labels from a cross sectional survey of people who drink alcohol from 29 countries. Design: This paper draws on findings from the Global Drug Survey (GDS) – an annual cross sectional online survey. Participants: 75,969 (64.3% male) respondents from 29 countries were...

Aim Rising mortality and disease prevalence in the homeless have been largely attributed to addiction disorders. This review aimed to assess whether Motivational Interviewing (MI) is effective in changing substance misuse behaviours in the homeless, specifically: 1. reducing substance misuse; 2. increasing addiction treatment linkage; and 3. whethe...

Objectives The Strengthening Families Programme 10–14 (SFP10-14) is a USA-developed universal group-based intervention aiming to prevent substance misuse by strengthening protective factors within the family. This study evaluated a proportionate universal implementation of the adapted UK version (SFP10-14UK) which brought together families identifi...

Introduction: The effect of socioeconomic status on adolescent substance abuse may be mediated by family socialization practices. However, traditional mediation analysis using a product or difference method is susceptible to bias when assumptions are not addressed. We aimed to use a potential outcomes framework to assess assumptions of exposure-me...

Background Reducing the alcohol content of drinks has the potential to reduce alcohol consumption. The aims of this study are to (1) test the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to assess the effect of alcohol strength on alcohol consumption within licensed premises in the United Kingdom (UK), and to (2) provide data to estimate key...

Objectives To explore UK clinicians’ beliefs and behaviours around recommending e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid for patients with cancer. Design Cross-sectional online survey. Setting England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Participants Clinicians involved in the care of patients with cancer. Primary and secondary outcomes Behavi...

Background Substance abuse and violence are among the primary health concerns regarding Brazilian adolescents. This study sought to explore the short-term effects of the Strengthening Families Program (SFP 10-14), a preventive program for families with adolescents, adapted to Brazil. Methods A pre-experimental design was used, with a pretest and 1...

Background Reducing the alcohol content of drinks has the potential to reduce population level alcohol consumption. This pilot study aimed to (1) test the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to assess the effect of alcohol strength on alcohol consumption within licensed premises in the United Kingdom (UK); and (2) provide data to est...

Background Reducing the alcohol content of drinks has the potential to reduce alcohol consumption. Aims: (1) test the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to assess the effect of alcohol strength on alcohol consumption within licensed premises in the United Kingdom (UK), (2) provide data to estimate key parameters for a RCT. Methods D...

Background and purpose: Women's health behaviours during pregnancy can affect their children's lifetime outcomes. Inactivity, poor diet, alcohol, and smoking during pregnancy are linked to maternal stress and distress. Mindfulness-based interventions can improve health behaviours and mental health. The purpose of the study was to develop and evalua...

Background: although 78% of alcohol-specific deaths in England occur in those aged between 40 and 69 years, alcohol interventions targeting this age group are limited in number and scope. Aims: to explore influences on alcohol consumption in midlife, with emphasis on automatic process around drinking behaviour to use results to inform the develop...

Introduction: Social status may be mediated by family socialization practices in relation to adolescent substance use. However, traditional mediation analysis using a product or difference method is susceptible to bias when assumptions of the method are not addressed. We used a potential outcomes framework to assess assumptions of (1) no exposure-m...

The second edition of Drug Policy and the Public Good presents up‐to‐date evidence relating to the development of drug policy at local, national, and international levels. The book explores both illicit drug use and nonmedical use of prescription medications from a public health perspective. The core of the book is a critical review of the scientif...

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of the Steps Towards Alcohol Misuse Prevention Programme (STAMPP) compared with education as normal (EAN) in reducing self-reported heavy episodic drinking (HED) in adolescents. Design: This is a cost-effectiveness analysis from a public sector perspective conducted as part of a clust...

Purpose The consequences of problematic alcohol consumption fall heavily on Australian adolescents, with this population at increased risk of death, serious injury and other harm. Research regarding whether gender, socioeconomic status (SES) or locality play a role in young people’s alcohol consumption and related harm is limited in Australia. The...

Children risk harming themselves when they consume drugs or alcohol, as these psychoactive substances are associated with numerous adverse effects on their physical and psychological health and well-being. Children may also be profoundly affected by the misuse of drugs or alcohol by the people responsible for their care, most often parents. This to...

Background: Alcohol use in young people is a risk factor for a range of short- and long-term harms and is a cause of concern for health services, policy-makers, youth workers, teachers, and parents. Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of universal, selective, and indicated family-based prevention programmes in preventing alcohol use or probl...

The aim of this study was to examine the extent of recanting (inconsistencies in reporting of lifetime alcohol use) and its impact on the assessment of primary outcomes within a large-scale alcohol prevention trial. One hundred and five post-primary schools in were randomised to receive either the intervention or education as normal. Participants (...

E-cigarettes as a Smoking Cessation Aid in Cancer Patients: Health Professionals’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Current Practice.

Background Effective interventions are required to reduce alcohol consumption and its associated harms at the population level. Reducing the alcohol content of beverages has the potential to reduce alcohol consumption through non-conscious processes. Before implementing a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to assess the effect of alcohol strength on...

With alcohol misuse one of the leading causes of disability among young Australians, determination of potential predictors of risky drinking trajectories of young people is crucial. This study aimed to identify risky drinking trajectories from early to mid-adolescence and to determine if membership of a harm minimization intervention, alcohol knowl...

Purpose of Review Classifying prevention as universal, selective or indicated only considers the form of interventions. This is limited as it fails to explain the function, or purpose, of interventions. This paper discusses a taxonomy for alcohol misuse prevention that considers both the form and function of prevention interventions. It adds to the...

Objectives To assess the effectiveness of a combined classroom curriculum and parental intervention (the Steps Towards Alcohol Misuse Prevention Programme (STAMPP)), compared with alcohol education as normal (EAN), in reducing self-reported heavy episodic drinking (HED) and alcohol-related harms (ARHs) in adolescents. Setting 105 high schools in N...

The main goals of this study included the assessment of the level of key competences and training needs of the prevention workforce in European countries, and the examination of participants’ characteristic differences in assessing the key competences necessary for prevention work. METHOD: Altogether, 154 respondents from 26 countries completed the...

Alcohol misuse is a pressing area of public health concern. This non-participant observational study investigated the functional characteristics of on-licensed premises where alcohol is consumed. Seven different licensed premises from South Central England were visited and observed for similar three hour periods on Saturday evenings. Observations w...

Background: Dominant approaches to understanding alcohol consumption and preventing misuse focus on cognitive antecedents of drinking behaviour. However, these approaches are not only limited, but ignore wider contextual factors. Adopting an ecological approach, this paper considers the functional significance of alcogenic environments from the per...

Aim: To assess the effectiveness of two personalised digital interventions (OneTooMany and Drinks Meter) compared to controls. Method: Randomised controlled trial (AEARCTR-0001082). Volunteers for the study, aged 18-30, were randomly allocated to one of two interventions or one of two control groups and were followed up four weeks later. Primary o...

Objectives: Dual process models, such as the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM), propose to account for both intentional and reactive drinking behaviour. Current methods of measuring constructs in the PWM rely on self-report, thus require a level of conscious deliberation. Implicit measures of attitudes may overcome this limitation and contribute to...

Aims: An Ecological approach to alcohol behaviour focuses on understanding individual–environment transactions, rather than on cognitive antecedents of behaviour. Meaning exists in the interdependence of individuals and their environments, in terms of affordances. Through subjective experience, this study focussed on group viewpoints related to alc...

Background Alcohol use in young people remains a public health concern, with adverse impacts on outcomes such as health, well-being, education and relationships. Objectives To assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a combined classroom curriculum and parental intervention on self-reported alcohol use [heavy episodic drinking (HED)] a...

Aims: The Drug Education in Victorian Schools (DEVS) programme taught about licit and illicit drugs over two years (2010–2011), with follow up in the third year (2012). It focussed on minimising harm and employed participatory, critical-thinking and skill-focussed pedagogy. This study evaluated the programme’s residual effectiveness at follow up in...

Purpose: Process evaluations generate important data on the extent to which interventions are delivered as intended. However, the tendency to focus only on assessment of pre-specified structural aspects of fidelity has been criticised for paying insufficient attention to implementation processes and how intervention-context interactions influence p...

Objectives: Dual process models, such as the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM), propose to account for both intentional and reactive drinking behaviour. Current methods of measuring constructs in the PWM rely on self-report, thus require a level of conscious deliberation. Implicit measures of attitudes may overcome this limitation and contribute t...

Background: The Strengthening Families Programme for youth aged 10-14 and parents/carers (SFP10-14) is a family-based prevention intervention with positive results in trials in the United States. We assessed the effectiveness of SFP10-14 for preventing substance misuse in Poland. Methods: Cluster randomized controlled trial with 20 communities (511...

Aim: To ascertain young adults’ experience of alcohol-related collateral harm (ARC harm). Methods: An online survey collected quantitative and qualitative data from a convenience sample of students (N = 450) aged 16–24 in Southern England. Questions and analyses focused on harms they had experienced as a result of alcohol consumption by other peopl...

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To assess the effectiveness of universal, selective and indicated family-based prevention programs in preventing alcohol use, or problem drinking, in school-aged children (up to 18 years of age). Specifically, on these outcomes, the review aims: To assess the...

Background: Alcohol use and misuse in young people is a major risk behaviour for mortality and morbidity. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a popular technique for addressing excessive drinking in young adults. Objectives: To assess the effects of motivational interviewing (MI) interventions for preventing alcohol misuse and alcohol-related prob...

Aims: We assessed antibiotic knowledge and practice among youth in India, where antibiotics are widely available without prescription. Methods: Randomly selected school questionnaire survey representing four regions in Goa, India, with students (n = 773) aged 16-17. Results: Most students (67%) were unaware of the problem of antibiotic resista...

Purpose of the paper: The purpose of this paper is to report on the use of the Delphi method to gain expert feedback on the identification of behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and development of a novel intervention to reduce adolescent alcohol misuse, based on the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM) of health risk behaviour. Methodology: Four BCTs...

Commentary to: Reviewing and interpreting the effects of brief alcohol interventions: comment on a Cochrane review about motivational interviewing for young adults

Background: This study investigated the impact of the Drug Education in Victorian Schools (DEVS) program on tobacco smoking. The program taught about licit and illicit drugs in an integrated manner over 2 years, with follow up in the third year. It focused on minimizing harm, rather than achieving abstinence, and employed participatory, critical-t...

Inclusivity of all children in education and within educational settings is an important value and goal. Yet, where settings and practices are not oriented for inclusivity and engagement, some children can struggle with academic tasks and are often marginalised and exhibit disruptive behaviours. The study reported here addresses the social nature o...

Background: Drinking is influenced by youth perceptions of how their peers drink. These perceptions are often incorrect, overestimating peer drinking norms. If inaccurate perceptions can be corrected, young people may drink less. Objectives: To determine whether social norms interventions reduce alcohol-related negative consequences, alcohol misuse...

Background: The prototype willingness model (PWM) may offer an appropriate basis for explaining and preventing adolescent alcohol misuse. An intervention was developed using a co-production approach, and consisted of an online quiz featuring 10 questions linked to the PWM. Objective: This study sought to determine the acceptability and relevance of...

Using the prototype willingness model (PWM) as a framework, this study sought to explore the relationship between prototype perceptions, willingness and alcohol consumption in a sample of adolescents in the United Kingdom (UK). Adolescents aged 11-17 were asked about their alcohol prototype perceptions, willingness to drink, intentions, alcohol con...

The Drug Education in Victorian Schools program provided integrated education about licit and illicit drugs, employed a harm minimization approach that incorporated participatory, critical thinking and skill-based teaching methods, and engaged parental influence through home activities. A cluster-randomized, controlled trial of the program was cond...

Drinking is influenced by youth (mis)perceptions of how their peers drink. If misperceptions can be corrected, young people may drink less. To determine whether social norms interventions reduce alcohol-related negative consequences, alcohol misuse or alcohol consumption when compared with a control (ranging from assessment only/no intervention to...

Descriptions of prevention as primary or secondary, or universal, selective and indicated, set out the different forms that drug misuse prevention can take. However, these classifications are limited, as they do not consider how prevention interventions work. For example, the function of some prevention programmes is to improve the developmental tr...

To assess the accuracy of Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores for problem drinking in males and females aged 18-35 in England. A method comparison study with 420 primary care patients aged 18-35. Test measures were AUDIT and AUDIT-C. Reference standard measures were (a) Time-Line Follow-Back interview for hazardous drinking; Wo...

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: Primary research objective To assess the effects of interventions at the individual, family and school level that aim to target multiple substance use behaviours (two or more from alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, other substance use) for the primary or secondary...

Background: A current pragmatic randomised controlled trial of the Strengthening Families Programme (SFP) is evaluating impacts on family functioning, alcohol use and other outcomes. This presentation describes a mixed-method process evaluation which explored how SFP was delivered by local and statutory bodies in seven areas of Wales. Methods:...

Globally, harmful use of alcohol results in approximately 2.5 million deaths each year. About 9% of these deaths are young people between the ages of 15 and 29 years (WHO 2011), mainly resulting from motor vehicle accidents, homicides, suicides and drownings. Hazardous drinking levels for men (consuming over 40 g/day alcohol on average, that is 5 u...

Background: Fidelity evaluation is particularly important in pragmatic studies, which afford greater potential for variation than explanatory trials. The Project SFP Cymru process evaluation has examined adherence, exposure, quality of delivery, participant engagement and programme differentiation during a randomised controlled trial of the Strengt...

A key issue in the cultural adaptation of interventions concerns the tension between modifying programmes to meet the needs of new populations and implementation settings, and the importance of retaining fidelity to the original intervention design.1 Skarstrand et al. ’s recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the Swedish adaptation of Strength...

The universal, selective and indicated forms of prevention classification scheme has been recommended and largely adopted as an improvement on previous notions of primary and secondary prevention. However, there is no consensus or clarity about the placing of environmental, community-based or mass media preventive interventions within this scheme....

I am grateful for the opportunity to reflect and respond to the commentaries of Drs. Burkhart and Biglan. I am in agreement with most of what they say, particularly, the point that environment is a key determinant of health risk behavior and as such, should be a main focus for prevention action.Dr. Burkhart makes a number of points (Burkhart 2013),...

Prevention of alcohol, drug and tobacco misuse by young people is a key public health priority. There is a need to develop the evidence base through rigorous evaluations of innovative approaches to substance misuse prevention. The Strengthening Families Programme 10-14 is a universal family-based alcohol, drugs and tobacco prevention programme, whi...

Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated harm minimisation focused school drug education programme in terms of reducing cannabis use and harm. Design and Methods: A cluster randomised controlled trial of the 18 lesson Drug Education in Victorian Schools (DEVS) drug education programme was undertaken with students during years eight and...