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UTRIP is a GLEPHA institutional member.

Matej Košir from the Institute for Research and Development Utrip (Slovenia) is presenting at LEPH2021 about Alcohol and youth in Slovenia – challenges from a law enforcement perspective.  Street gang intervention: a public health approach.

This presentation is currently scheduled for Tu9 (DAY 2: Tuesday 23 March at 11:00 AM – 11:50 AM EST).

Presentation abstract

In 2017, UTRIP and the City of Kranj implemented a pilot intervention based on STAD model specifically focused on increasing the compliance rate regarding selling alcohol to minors and intoxicated young adults in nightlife premises. Mystery shopping was used as the key research method. The training of staff in nightlife premises was conducted as a part of intervention. Media advocacy and campaign was included in the intervention as well to promote the enforcement of alcohol policy measures at local level. The baseline study showed that the compliance rate was 0 %, which means that all minors and »drunk« young actors were »successful« in all attempts to buy alcohol. Of a total of 150 attempts to buy alcohol in all four phases of mystery shopping action (from November to December 2017), young activists and actors were »successful« in 145 cases (96.7 %). The results of the intervention showed almost complete indifference of the bar/pub staff to the respect of the alcohol law which was widely presented to media and key political stakeholders at local and national level. STAD-based intervention has been repeated in some other Slovenian cities since 2018 and some additional actions have been conducted to involve important national and local stakeholders (e.g., local authorities, police and inspectorates, schools, etc.) much strongly in preventive activities regarding alcohol use among youth to strengthen the enforcement part of intervention and improve compliance rates in intervention cities. Now, local logic models for interventions are in the process of development in 6 pilot cities across Slovenia and baseline mystery shopping activities are planned to be conducted as soon as COVID-19 pandemic situation allows them. Some results and outcomes will be presented at the conference, especially related to the local logic models and significant change of police chiefs’ mindset regarding their proactive (prevention) role at the local level regarding the sale of alcohol to minors and drunk individuals.

Matej Košir

Matej Košir has been working in the field of prevention and public health advocacy for the last 22 years. He is a coordinator of the Prevention Platform network, which includes more than 40 supporting partners (mostly NGOs) in Slovenia. He has been involved in more than 25 EU-funded research and developmental projects. He is a co-developer of the European Prevention Curriculum and a contributor to the UNODC/WHO International Prevention Standards. EUSPR has awarded him with »Leading European Prevention Science Practitioner Honour« in 2017. US Society for Prevention Research (SPR) has awarded him and his wife (Sanela Talić) with »International Collaborative Prevention Research Award« in 2020. He is a Prevention Science PhD student at the University of Zagreb (Croatia). He is a Vice-President / President-Elect of the International Confederation of Research Associations in the field of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (ICARA) and a Deputy Chairperson of the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC).

Link to Matej Koširs full bio

Institute for Research and Development (UTRIP)

UTRIP is a non-governmental and a non-profit research institute. It aims to conduct research, develop, implement, monitor and evaluate the projects and programmes in the field of youth risk behaviour, addiction prevention, health promotion, healthy lifestyle and public health advocacy. UTRIP is a member of the European Alcohol Policy Alliance (Eurocare), the Civil Society Forum on Drugs (CSFD), the International Confederation of ATOD Research Associations (ICARA), Movendi International, the World Federation Against Drugs (WFAD), the Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association (GLEPHA) etc. It has been involved in more than 25 European projects, co-financed by the European Commission under the Health Programme, the Drug Policy Initiatives Programme, the Erasmus Plus Programme, the Justice Programme, the 7th Framework Programme (research) etc. UTRIP was the coordinator of the project “Club Health – Healthy and Safer Nightlife of Youth” (www.club-health.eu), which was co-financed by the European Commission (Health Programme). 

 

 

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