How Young/Old Does One Look? Sales Personnel’s and Laypersons’ Estimation of Young People’s Age

Several studies have found that the level of alcohol use among minors both in Europe generally and in Estonia is relatively high. However, we have less knowledge of issues related to age estimations in this field. Therefore, research was conducted to examine how accurate sales personnel in Estonia are in estimating the age of young people and, in addition, to compare salespersons and laypersons (i.e., persons not working in shops that sell food and alcohol) with regard to their ability to make accurate age estimations. For this purpose, 20 salespersons and 20 laypersons participated in an experiment in which they estimated the age of people whose faces were presented to them in images. Salespersons’ estimation of young persons’ age from the photos was more accurate than laypersons’ estimation. However, both groups tended to overestimate the age of the people shown, especially when the focus was on the difference between minors of age 17 and young adults of age 18 or 19. It can be concluded that accurately discriminating between minors’ and adults’ faces by using only facial cues is difficult. One solution for addressing this issue in practice would be to raise the age threshold for asking for ID. While many shops already pursue this approach, it is on a voluntary basis; in Estonia, there is no legal requirement to do so

A parent-oriented alcohol prevention program "Effekt" had no impact on adolescents' alcohol use: Findings from a cluster-randomized controlled trial in Estonia.

AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of a universal parent-oriented alcohol prevention program ("Effekt") in Estonia. The main objective of the program was to delay and reduce adolescents' alcohol consumption by maintaining parental restrictive attitudes towards adolescents' alcohol use over time. METHODS: A matched-pair cluster randomized controlled trial with a three-year assessment period (baseline (T1), 18-months (T2) and 30-months (T3) follow-ups) was undertaken in 2012-2015 among 985 fifth grade adolescents and 790 parents in sixty-six schools (34 intervention, 32 control). The primary outcome measure was adolescents' alcohol use initiation. Secondary outcome measures were lifetime drunkenness and alcohol use in the past year. Intermediate outcomes were restrictive parental attitudes towards adolescents' alcohol use reported by parents and perceived restrictive parental attitudes and parental alcohol supply reported by adolescents. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in adolescents' alcohol use initiation, lifetime drunkenness, alcohol use in the past year, parental alcohol supply, and adolescent's perception of parental restrictive attitudes between intervention and control school participants at T2 and T3. There were significant differences in parental attitudes - the odds of having restrictive attitudes were 2.05 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.32-3.17) times higher at T2 and 1.92 (95% CI = 1.31-2.83) times higher at T3 in the intervention group than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The Estonian version of the "Effekt" program had a positive effect on parental attitudes, but it did not succeed in delaying or reducing adolescents' alcohol consumption.Estonian National Institute for Health Development, Archimedes Foundatio

Preventing alcohol use among adolescents by targeting parents: A qualitative study of the views of facilitators, parents, and teachers on a universal prevention program "Effekt"

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to better understand facilitators', parents', and teachers' experiences, attitudes, and perceived impact of the international alcohol prevention program "Effekt" and its delivery to help explain its ineffectiveness in Estonia. METHOD: One focus group with program facilitators (n = 8, 7 women) and individual interviews with seventh grade teachers (n = 12, 11 women) and parents (n = 24, all women) were carried out. The semi-structured interview schedules sought to explore participants' attitudes toward the program, delivery process, impact, participation barriers, and facilitators and long-term implementation. Interviews were transcribed, and data analysis was guided by the thematic analysis method. RESULTS: Participants identified both positive and negative elements regarding program delivery that are broken down into three main themes: perceived value of the program, perception of low participation rates, and long-term perspective. Perceived value of the program: Participants perceived the program to be effective from the parents' perspective, but they considered its effect on children questionable. Perception of low participation rates: The perception of low participation rates was considered as the main factor reducing the program's impact. This was potentially influenced by factors such as a weak engagement process, lack of perceived relevance, infrequent meetings, and parents not attending school meetings. Long-term perspective: Most participants supported the idea of implementing the program with some adjustments, such as involving children, tailoring the content, and increasing the engagement of teachers. CONCLUSIONS: Limited engagement, low perceived relevance, practical issues, and impractical format were perceived as major contributors to the ineffectiveness of the program. Taking these and other identified factors into account may help inform future prevention programs targeting parents