Project summary

The Violence Research Group's randomised trials of brief advice about alcohol consumption have identified when and where this advice is effective. However, the language associated with brief advice, such as "motivational interviewing" and "psychological interventions" is not understood by practitioners and policy makers. Therefore, the Violence Research Group worked with practitioners and marketing experts to develop what became the Have a Word brand: "Brief Advice Works, Have a Word!"

This brand is used to market effective brief advice and to motivate practitioners to undertake the necessary training to deliver brief advice to patients, offenders, students and others in order to prompt behaviour change concerning alcohol. This approach has significant potential for affecting changes in other health behaviours, for example, in relation to exercise and diet.

Project aims

The aims of the Have a Word project are to:

• transfer knowledge of effective brief advice on alcohol derived from trials conducted by the Violence Research Group
• embed alcohol misuse screening and brief advice into the NHS and the armed services through this motivational and social marketing approach.

Co-Investigator

Implementation team

• Professor Jonathan Shepherd, Cardiff University
• Dr Sarah Jones, Cardiff University
• Major Peter Field, Defence Dentistry, MOD
• Craig Jones, Public Health Wales
• Don Lavoie, Public Health England.

Outputs

To date, the outputs of the project consist of:

• published delivery and evaluation reports to funding bodies
• formal launch of the Have a Word campaign with associated social media
• a Wales-wide implementation campaign
• Health Board collaboratives to ensure local ownership
• Strategy to implement across the armed services
• a suite of training packages accredited to degree level by national accreditation body - Agored Cymru and the Royal College of Nursing.
• These packages, for download, include:
  • Have a Word Scratchcard (pdf,355kb) - this allows assessment of alcohol risk
  • Have a Word Wheel (pdf, 249kb) - this allows assessment of alcohol consumption
  • Have a Word Calendar (pdf, 119kb) - this allows assessment of long-term alcohol consumption
  • Have a Word Audit (pdf, 119kb) - this is an evaluation of training delivery
  • Have a Word 30min Slide set (pptx,3.3mb) - this is a short training aid
  • Have a Word 60min Slide set (pptx, 4.5mb) - this is a longer targeted training aid
  • Have a Word 90min Slide set (pptx, 5.9mb) - this is a further targeted training aid
  • Have a Word 120min Slide set (pptx, 10mb) - this is a detailed training aid

Outcomes

So far, the outcomes of the project include:

• 16,000 health and other professionals trained to deliver across Wales
• a contract with Public Health England to deliver "train the trainers" courses across England
• implementation in three health regions in England followed by national implementation strategy
• adoption by the Ministry of Defence
• implementation in UK army dental services capitalising on mandatory dental checks
• use of Have a Word to support the new NHS England CQUIN “Preventing ill health from alcohol use".

Further information

For more information on this project see the project summary leaflet or contact: