Celebration without hospitalization

Researcher: Alison Hutton

Schoolies Festivals are events that give young people the opportunity to celebrate the end of their school life. In Adelaide, young people celebrate Schoolies in a dry zone, however prior to entering this dry zone a substantial amount of alcohol is ingested in caravan parks, surrounding hotels and residences. Data from the 2009 St John Ambulance Australia presentations identified that 14% of young people presented to on–site care last year with an alcohol related condition and/or injury. Of that fourteen percent (14%), fifty percent (50%) of these young people were subsequently transferred and admitted to hospital. The aim of this research is to identify and explore, through the retrospective accounts of 60‐80 young people, the ways that young people prepare to minimize and/or be free from alcohol‐related harm at Schoolies. The knowledge generated will be used to make recommendations about the development of health information strategies that aim to reduce the number of young people requiring hospitalisation due to alcohol related injury at Schoolies.