Strategic
Alliances
Public health in partnership with NGOs
Berkshire Public Health & Drinkaware
INTRODUCTION
CAMPAIGN EVALUATION
Drinkaware partnered with Berkshire Public Health,
the six unitary authorities of Berkshire and the
Berkshire Local Pharmaceutical Committee to develop
and evaluate a kit designed to help consumers learn
more about how alcohol impacts their health and to
cut back their alcohol intake if needed.
The ‘What’s in Your Glass’? kit was designed around
the most effective of Drinkaware’s existing physical
resources (the unit cup, unit and calorie wheel) and
used the pharmacy as a means of distribution.
Designed in consultation with pharmacists to be selfexplanatory and achieve strong stand out, the kit is
colourful, eye-catching and informative . The aim was
to ensure that pharmacy customers would pick up the
kit themselves rather than requiring active
intervention on the part of the busy pharmacist.
Shared Intelligence, an independent evaluation agency,
was commissioned to evaluate the initiative. The
evaluation involved consultation with partnership
stakeholders and participating pharmacists as well as
understanding consumer reactions through a quantitative
survey, qualitative focus groups and follow up interviews.
Specifically, to measure how the kit contributed to
behaviour change and the degree to which partnership
working added value.
CAMPAIGN IMPLEMENTATION
The campaign was planned to coincide with
Berkshire’s Alcohol Awareness Week activity in
November 2013. 151 pharmacies across Berkshire
participated.
Pharmacists were supplied with a briefing to explain
the role and purpose of the kit and promotional
material for display in-store to encourage customers
to pick it up. The kits were displayed prominently on
pharmacy counters.
Drinkaware mounted PR activity to publicise the
availability of the kits, with coverage on local radio
and in newspapers.
EVALUATION FINDINGS
A survey was included in every kit (with an option to
complete online), a total of 300 people responded
between 24 October 2013 and 6 January 2014. Figures
below are taken from these responses.
Results show the kit successfully involved consumers and
encouraged them to both take home and use the
products - 96% used one element at least once and 74%
used all three elements to educate themselves about
their drinking.
Positive behaviour change was demonstrated as a result
of using the kit. Four in five respondents (79%) said that
they had started keeping better track of their drinking
after using the kit. Other positive changes that were
reported included: reducing the number of calories
consumed (67%), reducing the number of units drunk
(63%), drinking lower strength drinks (58%) and drinking
on fewer days of the week (52%). There is evidence from
the follow-up interviews conducted that for many, these
changes were sustained.
The kit was popular with pharmacists who found that the
design was appealing and the tone helped them to have
conversations about alcohol in a way that was nonjudgemental.
Change was most likely amongst women, those who were
married and those drinking to increasing and higher risk
levels. One respondent explains:
“I used to have a glass of wine with my meal…now I know
more about wine calories, I've stopped drinking with my
meal...I've got more energy now. I'm less tired at night”
Fig. 1 ‘What’s in your glass?’ pack and contents
The full evaluation was published in May 2014 and is
available on the Drinkaware website. drinkaware.co.uk
Strategic
Alliances
Public health in partnership with NGOs
Berkshire public health & Drinkaware
LEARNING TO TAKE FORWARD
The evaluation helped identify a number of
success factors.
• Cutting through a multitude of health messaging in
the pharmacy environment through strong design.
• Solidifying this learning via repeated use at the
point of making decisions about alcohol
consumption. One respondent said:
“I use it most of the time when I have a drink in the
house - I measure with the cup and have 125 mls
now, check how many calories and units on the
wheel, and make a note of the units and calories. I
use it every time really”
The combined effect of the cup, unit/ calorie wheel &
drinks diary appeared to drive reflections on
individual drinking behaviours and subsequently
prompt actual changes.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Fig. 2 Example of materials in situ in one pharmacy
• Prompting proactive take up via an intriguing
message and accessible tone; two thirds of
consumers surveyed were motivated to pick up the
kit out of curiosity.
• Becoming a talking point for people and being
actively shared. A quarter of consumers passed on
the kit having used it themselves, and 96% would
recommend it, some commenting they used the kits
as "Secret Santa" presents.
“There was a lot of fun when we un-wrapped them... It
was good to participate with all the family...Now the
question is opened to discussion (of our drinking).”
• Consumers learned about units through comparison
to calories, other visual explanations and the tangible
experience of using the kit. More than 9 in 10 of
those using the kit (93%) said it helped them
understand units in a particular drink.
The resource has potential to act as an enabler for
the delivery of alcohol brief advice, working as an
engagement tool for staff not confident in asking
about alcohol.
Drinkaware will build on this study though exploring,
for example:
1
What other contexts have potential?
2
How do we sustain behaviour changes?
3
How else can we amplify impact through
partnership?
Drinkaware would like to thank all the partners who
participated in this study: Berkshire Public Health, the
six unitary authorities of Berkshire and the Berkshire
Local Pharmaceutical Committee and all participating
pharmacists.
For further info contact:
Lizzie Worth
Stakeholder & Partnerships Manager
Drinkaware
[email protected]
Dr Lisa McNally
Consultant in Public Health, Bracknell Forest
[email protected]