Evaluation of Drinkaware’s junior cycle alcohol education programme (JC AEP) 2018-2020: summary report.

This is the third and final report on a three-year evaluation of Drinkaware’s Junior Cycle Alcohol Education Programme (JC AEP). The aims of this manualised and evidence-informed programme are to: a. promote understanding of the effects of alcohol; b. support the development of personal and social skills to encourage independent decision-making about alcohol; and c. empower young people to develop strategies to resist peer pressure, change behaviours and engage in alternatives to alcohol use. The programme involves 8 to 10 40-minute lesson plans delivered by teachers to Junior Cycle students (First to Third year) on a weekly or fortnightly basis as part of the Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum. The principal aim of this pre-post, mixed methods, longitudinal study, was to investigate the effectiveness, acceptability and implementation of the JC AEP over its three-year delivery period (2018-2020).