Recent independent research by the University of Liverpool has found that the Public Health Agency (PHA) funded School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project (SHAHRP) has achieved significant, positive results in raising awareness of alcohol misuse and reducing alcohol-related harm.

Delivered annually to 16,000 pupils in schools across Belfast and the South Eastern area, SHAHRP was evaluated against groups of pupils who did not receive the project; these are called the ‘control’ group.

The findings, in the teacher-led SHARP programme compared to the ‘control’, included:

•70% increase in knowledge about alcohol across time;
•73% increase in ‘healthier’ attitudes across time.
Findings in the ‘control’ group, compared to the teacher-led SHARP programme, included:
•30% increase in proportion of unsupervised drinkers across time
•45% increase in harms resulting from their own drinking
•63% increase in alcohol related harm reported by them associated with other people’s drinking