Exploratory trial of the Kids Adults Together (KAT) Programme

INTERVENTION: The intervention is the Kids, Adults Together (KAT) Programme: primary school‐based classwork and family activities designed to promote pro‐social communication between parents and their children. KAT is a complex intervention with three components: (i) classroom work which addresses the effects of alcohol consumption and involves preparation for a family fun event; (ii) the family fun event, delivered in school, and involving children and parents in activities addressing key health messages around alcohol; and (iii) a ?goody? bag to take home containing fun items and educational leaflets, and an educational DVD for families to watch together after the fun event. The classroom work takes up to a week of classroom time but may be spaced over a longer period. The family fun evening lasts 1‐2 hours and is a single event. Schools in the control group will continue with any existing alcohol‐related lessons/school activities. Schools in the intervention group are free to continue with such activities and we expect the study to ascertain how KAT may be integrated or cross‐referenced with other school work. The primary research instruments are pupil questionnaires (self complete on paper in class) and telephone interviews with parents/carers. Other research instruments used for the process evaluation include: 1. Individual interviews 2. Focus groups 3. Observation Questionnaires including measures of alcohol use will be completed by pupils under supervision in the classroom at baseline and approximately sixfour months later. The study?s process evaluation will include observation of a selection of KAT lessons and the KAT family education evening. A sample of parents and young people from the intervention group schools will be invited to participate in discussion focus groups (pupils) and face to face interviews (parents/carers). School staff in intervention and control group schools will also be invited to participate in face to face interviews. Classroom p CONDITION: UK children start drinking at a young age and the amount they drink has increased. More youngsters in the UK misuse alcohol than in most other European countries. People who start drinking at a younger age are more likely to have problems with alcohol when they get older. ; Mental and Behavioural Disorders ; Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol SECONDARY OUTCOME: The secondary outcome of a future effectiveness trial would be 6‐month impacts of KAT on pro‐social communication within families. Promoting pro‐social communication is a key short‐term programme aim, which in line with the Social Development Model is hypothesized to lead to the prevention of alcohol misuse. In this exploratory trial we will collect data from parents (4‐6 month follow‐up) on family communication, to provide a broad estimate of potential effect sizes, and the feasibility and acceptability of doing so. Measures of parents? drinking will be piloted. Data will also be collected from parents on educational qualifications and socio‐economic status so that intervention take‐up can be assessed. PRIMARY OUTCOME: In a potential effectiveness trial the primary outcome would be young people's age of first drinking alcohol (2 years past baseline). In this exploratory trial we will pilot the feasibility and acceptability of collecting these data from pupils at 6 month follow‐up, along with other key measures of alcohol use, such as consumption frequency and levels of harmful drinking and drunkenness. An existing trial (of the Strengthening Families Programme 10‐14) is collecting data on drinking behaviour from 11‐15 year olds (at 24 month follow‐up), which will inform the appropriateness of outcome measures as part of any eventual effectiveness trial of KAT, and will also be used to identify rates of prevalence of key drinking behaviours in KAT?s target population, and the potential effect sizes which KAT may be expected to produce. Use will also be made of the Health Behaviour in School Aged Children (HBSC) survey data for Wales, which will allow estimation of alcohol outcomes and their intra‐cluster correlation at school level (Currie et al., 2008).; ; In summary, key study outcomes will be:; 1. Quality of programme implementation; 2. Participant recruitment rates; 3. Participant retention rates; 4. Feasibility and acceptability to participants of measuring:; 4.1. Age of alcohol consumption initiation (pupils); 4.2. Past month alcohol consumption frequency (pupils); 4.3. Past month drunkenness (pupils); 4.4. Pro‐social communication in families (pupils and parents); 4.5. Parental drinking behaviours (parents); 4.6 Socio‐economic status and educational background (pupils and parents) INCLUSION CRITERIA: Schools: 1. Primary schools in Newport, Gwent, UK 2. English medium 3. Commitment from head teacher Specific classes will participate in the trial in each school, normally from Years 5/6. All pupils in these classes will be eligible to participate in the trial. In intervention schools all pupils in the relevant classes will undertake KAT programme activities as part of their normal classroom work. Pupils will participate in the KAT programme regardless of whether they and/or their parents/carers participate in the trial. Parents and children will be invited to attend the fun events regardless of whether they participate in the trial. In intervention schools we will seek to recruit all parents and children from the school classes that receive KAT, regardless of whether parents and children attend the fun event. Children: 1. Members of classes in Years 4, 5 and 6 at primary school (mostly 9‐11 years old) 2. Ability to communicate