title: Principals' reports of adults' alcohol use in Australian secondary schools.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Schools provide opportunities for parents and the wider community to connect and support the physical and emotional wellbeing of their children. Schools therefore have the potential to play a role in the socialisation of alcohol use through school policies and practices regarding consumption of alcohol by adults at school events in the presence of children.
  
  
  METHODS
  This survey was undertaken to a) compare the extent to which alcohol is used at secondary school events, when children are present, in the states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria (VIC), Australia; b) describe principals' level of agreement with these practices; c) their awareness of state policies on this issue; and d) the predictors of such events. A random sample of secondary schools, stratified to represent metropolitan and non-metropolitan schools were invited to participate. Bivariate and multivariate analysis were conducted with p values < 0.05 considered significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 241 (43%) schools consented to participate in the study. Fifteen percent of participating NSW schools and 57% of VIC schools held at least one event in which alcohol was consumed by adults in the presence of children in the year before the survey. Of the 100 reported events, 78% were Year 12 graduation dinners, and 18% were debutante balls. Compared to NSW principals, VIC principals were significantly more likely to agree with the use of alcohol at these events; significantly less likely to be aware of their state education department policy on this issue; have a policy at their own school or support policy that prohibits alcohol use at such events; and less likely to report having enough information to make decisions about this.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a growing focus on adults' use of alcohol at school events when children are present. Schools can play an important role in educating and socialising children about alcohol via both the curriculum and policies regarding adults' alcohol use at school events. Findings from this study suggest education department and school-based policies that prohibit or restrict the use of alcohol, are significant predictors of adults' alcohol use at school events when children are present.
authors.affiliation: School of Rural Health, Monash University, PO Box 666, Bendigo, Victoria, 3552, Australia. bernadette.ward@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Bernadette M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.affiliation: School of Rural Health, Monash University, PO Box 666, Bendigo, Victoria, 3552, Australia. Rebecca.kippen@monash.edu.|Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. Rebecca.kippen@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kippen
authors.affiliation: School of Rural Health, Monash University, PO Box 666, Bendigo, Victoria, 3552, Australia. p.f.buykx@sheffield.ac.uk.|School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. p.f.buykx@sheffield.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Penny
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buykx
authors.affiliation: Australian Drug Foundation, Melbourne, Australia. Geoff.Munro@adf.org.au.
authors.forename: Geoffrey
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Munro
authors.affiliation: National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Australia. N.McBride@curtin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Nyanda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: McBride
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia. John.Wiggers@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wiggers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005178:Faculty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D016134:Organizational Policy; D012574:Schools / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012951:Socialization; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology