If you are a woman aged 18-25 who currently drinks alcohol and would like to participate, please fill out this short screener form.
What is this study all about?
Alcohol producers spend millions of dollars every year to influence a woman’s choice to drink alcohol. As you may know, alcohol use can have important impacts on a woman’s health. However, studies show that most women don’t know about the health risks that alcohol can have that are specific to women. This project is working to develop a health campaign to let young women know that alcohol use can have such an impact on women, and to help young women understand what different levels of drinking look like and how that effects their health.
This project aims to increase awareness among young women of how alcohol affects their health so they can make informed choices about if and how much they want to drink. We are doing this by conducting a series of focus groups to learn what young women think about how to best communicate alcohol’s risks to women’s health.
To do that, we need your help.
We’re looking for young women between the ages 18 to 25 who currently drink alcohol to participate in a focus group with other young women. We want to hear about your opinions on messages that communicate how alcohol can impact a woman’s health, and learn how we can support you in making informed choices about your drinking and health.
Participation involves attending one focus group by video conferencing that will take up to one and a half hours. The online screener will take about 3 minutes. Participants will be reimbursed $50 for their time.
For more info, check out the FAQs below.
Thank you for your interest in our project!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why is this project being done?
Alcohol producers spend millions of dollars every year to influence a woman’s choice to drink alcohol. As you may know, alcohol use can have important impacts on a woman’s health. However, studies show that most women don’t know about the health risks that alcohol can have that are specific to women. We’re developing a health campaign to let young women know that alcohol use can have such an impact on their well-being, and to help young women understand what different levels of drinking look like and how that affects their health.
How long will this take?
The online screener will take about 3 minutes to fill out, and the focus group session may last for up to 1.5 hours.
Who is doing this study?
Dr. Priscilla Martinez at the Alcohol Research Group, a program of the Public Health Institute, is responsible for overseeing the study and its day-to-day management. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact her at (510) 898-5860 or pmartinez@arg.org.
Are there any potential risks or discomforts that I can expect from this project?
The potential risks associated with this project are estimated to be minor, and include the loss of privacy if personal-identifying information were made public. This is addressed through careful protection of your information by using password-secured databases on a protected network. While we do not anticipate participants to experience risks or discomfort while participating in the focus group, if you feel uncomfortable at any time and do not want to reveal certain kinds of information, you can stop participating in the focus group with no penalty.
Are there any potential benefits if I participate?
You will not benefit directly from your participation in the research. However, you may learn more about alcohol’s effects on women’s health, and how to reduce the negative health risks associated with alcohol use.
How confidential are my answers?
We take many steps to ensure all information is kept confidential. Your answers will be grouped with all the other participants’ so your responses won’t be identifiable. Your information will not be shared with anyone outside of the project’s personnel. Any information that is obtained in connection with this project and can identify you will remain confidential. We will not write your name in the transcripts of the focus group, and when we digitally save the focus group transcripts we will use a code rather than your name. Your name will not be linked to your responses in any way. All of the digital audio-visual recordings of the focus group sessions will be reviewed, transcribed, and then destroyed at the end of the study. All transcripts and recordings will be kept on a password-protected computer in a locked office, and the only people who will have access to the office and files will be members of the project team.
Will I receive anything for my time?
You will receive a payment in the form of a $50 after you complete the focus group component of this study.
Why do you have to ask about Hispanic/Latino origin and Race/ethnicity?
Most alcohol and drug use research has been done with people of European descent. This can lead to research conclusions that don’t apply to Latino and African American, or other non-European populations. We want to make sure that our results and study participants are representative of the people who live in our communities.
Where can I get more information?
For more information about this research, please feel free to contact Dr. Priscilla Martinez at (510) 898-5860 or pmartinez@arg.org. If you wish to voice any problems or concerns you may have about the project to someone other than the researchers, please call Dr. Robert McLaughlin at the Institutional Review Board at the Public Health Institute at 510-326-3205.
