Project Title: Determining the impact of underage alcohol/substance use on child health and well-being
Description: English statistics report that in 2016, almost half of girls (46%) and boys (43%) aged 11-15 years had consumed alcohol. This increased to 65% by 16-17 years. Almost a quarter of 15-year olds (23%) reported being drunk within the past 4 weeks, and by 14 years, approximately one third had tried an illicit substance (e.g. cannabis). Underage alcohol/substance use (UASU) can have significant long-term consequences on brain development, and increases risk of accident/injury, violent/criminal behaviour, pregnancy/STIs, and lowers educational/employment attainment. These effects can be more pronounced in lower socio-economic populations, important for Liverpool where 33% of those <16yrs live in poverty. Despite the common involvement of alcohol and substance use in emergency department visits which involve 'adverse' factors (e.g. violence, self-harm), few emergency departments offer any alcohol/substance-related interventions to underage patients.
This research will provide a comprehensive understanding of underage alcohol/substance use (UASU). The successful candidate will work with children, families, paediatric clinicians, and organisations (e.g. schools) to determine attitudes around UASU, and identify factors that increase UASU and perceived barriers to reducing this behaviour. This data will be collected via a range of quantitative (e.g. surveys) and qualitative (e.g. interviews) research methods, and consider the impact of health inequalities.
The candidate will work with existing healthcare records to better understand the nature of UASU admissions. The candidate will conduct relevant systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses to identify the current evidence around effective interventions to reduce UASU. This work will support collaboration with adolescents and healthcare professionals to develop guidance on tools which can be used in clinical/non-clinical settings to identify and/or reduce UASU.