Activities

The RRISK (Reduce Risk Increase Student Knowledge) program aims to reduce injury and harm resulting from risk taking behaviours associated with alcohol and drug use, driving and celebrating among adolescents in northern NSW. The aim of the program is to assist students to make informed decisions that will reduce potential harm and injury.

Risk Taking and Injury

Young people are over-represented in every category of risk-taking behaviour resulting in injury. A quarter of 14-17 year olds drink at least weekly. Of these, 27% drink at harmful levels at least monthly.

60% of adolescent deaths are caused by accidents – many of these are the result of risk taking. More than one third of alcohol related injury hospitalisations were sustained by young people and over 50% of all serious road injuries involve young people. A 17 year old driver with a provisional licence is about four times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than a driver aged 26 or older.

RRISK Seminars

The RRISK program, first developed in 1999, has grown rapidly in response to demand. It initially involved 300 students from 9 high schools and in 2007 over 3,500 year 11 students from 43 North Coast high schools were invited to participate. This was the first year that students from schools in the Clarence Valley and the Mid North Coast were offered RRISK. Seminars for students were held in Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie as well as in Lismore and Tweed Heads.

The RRISK program offers students the opportunity to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills required to reduce risk taking behaviour associated with alcohol and drug use, driving and celebrating. The aim of the program is to assist students to make informed decisions that will reduce potential harm and injury. RRISK targets year 11 high school students who are most likely to be learner and/or provisional drivers.

The major themes of the RRISK Program are:- Know the Facts, Make Informed Decisions, Minimise Risky Choices, Plan Ahead and Look After Friends.

RRISK offers timely education on issues appropriate to the developmental stage, social life and concerns of adolescents. It provides a framework for an integrated response to minimising the harms associated with alcohol, drugs, driving and other potentially risky behaviours.

The RRISK program involves a range of strategies including skills based learning, support for the senior Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) curriculum, newsletter inserts, professional development for teachers and peer leadership training for students. Professional Developments seminars are also offered to parents, teachers, health and welfare professionals and community workers as part of the seminar program.

The key initiative of the RRISK program are the RRISK seminars held in November and December each year. The seminars are multi strategic, with a range of exciting sessions designed to engage young people. Students are involved in planning the presentations to ensure that RRISK is relevant and empowering to adolescents. Over 200 students are trained each year as peer educators to help other students understand and reduce risks. Peer educators are a vital part of the RRISK Seminars and are also encouraged to promote the program in and out of school.

The seminars include a keynote address from Paul Dillon, Drug and Alcohol Research and Training, Australia. Paul is an expert in communicating with young people on alcohol, drugs and risk taking. There are sessions on young driver and passenger safety and how to buy and maintain a road worthy car. The day’s activities culminate in a “crash scenario” involving police, ambulance and SES and a powerful presentation by a young man who has been permanently injured as a result of a motor vehicle crash involving alcohol and drugs.

Stakeholder Engagement/Consultation

RRISK is managed by a dynamic intersectoral partnership including Health Promotion-North Coast Area Health Service, Department of Education and Training, Catholic Education Office, Lismore City, Tweed, Ballina, Coffs Harbour City, Port Macquarie-Hastings and Nambucca Shire Councils, Coffs Harbour PCYC and NRMA. The program is sponsored by Southern Cross University, Motor Accidents Authority and supported by the RTA, NSW Police Force, Ambulance Service and State Emergency Services.

RRISK Evaluation

In 2002 the Motor Accident Authority funded a comprehensive evaluation of RRISK with four key components:

Survey of student knowledge, atitudes and behaviour (KAB)
Independent survey of RRISK partnership
Teacher/school involvement which resulted in a Checklist of activities for schools
A driver injury and infringement outcomes study (part of a state-wide survey).

Student knowledge, attitudes and behaviour was evaluated via pre/post comparison involving 4,701 students in 21 intervention and 19 comparison schools. This revealed a high prevalence of risk taking behaviours and a positive effect on seminar attendance 3-4 months after the seminars.

At baseline more than 60% engaged in some binge drinking (6+ standard drinks per occasion). One third failed to wear a seatbelt at least once, 23% rode with an alcohol-impaired driver, 23% rode with a drug-impaired driver and 9% had been alcohol impaired when driving. Respondents got so drunk they felt ill at every fouth party they attended.

Key improvements in student behaviour
At follow-up, students who attended seminars reported significantly improved protective partying behaviours, compared to non-attendees, 3-4 months after the event. Maturation and other variables were adjusted for.

RRISK Seminar attendees versus non-attendees:

Planning a safe return from parties - (25-29%)
What to check when buying a used car to ensure it is safe - (17-23%)
Being contactable by parents guardians - 17%
Agreeing to "always inform friends where I am" - 10%
Looking out for friends so they don't get too drunk or stoned - 8%
Agreeing to "good parties- don' need alcohol or drugs" - 8%
Checking that the driver is not drunk before getting into the car - (6-8%)

To view the full evaluation report, see RRISK Program Evaluation 2002-2005. RRISK is an effective health promotion project, which is readily transferable to other areas.

Checklist

A checklist of strategies for high schools - Student Risk Taking: What can your school do? has been developed as part of the RRISK evaluation to assist schools to increase the number of activities that they undertake each year to reduce adolescent risk taking.