Problem
There is low public awareness about the relationship between alcohol and cancer, with 2 in 3 South Australians not perceiving alcohol as being an important risk factor for cancer. Evidence demonstrates a causal link between alcohol consumption and seven types of cancer including cancer of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, bowel, liver and breast (female).

What we did
In May – July 2025 Cancer Council SA delivered the ‘Spread’ alcohol awareness campaign, developed by the Mental Health Commission WA. The campaign was aimed at South Australians aged between 25 – 54 years who drink alcohol, conveyed the messages that alcohol causes cancer and the importance of reducing your drinking to reduce your risk. It depicts a glass of red wine falling over and spreading to the parts of the body where cancer can occur. The campaign aired across a variety of media including a tram wrap.

Results
Evaluation results showed promising results in engagement, impressions, click throughs and campaign webpage visits. It drove reflection and intention to reduce alcohol consumption: with 91% of respondents resonating with the key message ‘Reducing your drinking will reduce your risk of alcohol-related cancer’. There were strong learnings from alcohol industry response, with 60% of campaign feedback via LinkedIn posts, emails and media articles coming from the wine industry.

Lessons
The response to the campaign highlighted the power of industry to influence policy makers and the media to amplify their views and promote misinformation to counter the campaign messages. This ‘playbook’, identified in systematic reviews and WHO analyses, involved framing the debate, influencing policy directly, and challenging the science. The response has required critical assessment in planning future campaigns to counter the industry strategies to negate the campaign.

Introduction:
Intentional and unintentional overdoses are increasing in Australia. Effective overdose prevention requires an understanding of the characteristics and needs of the communities where it is implemented. Tasmania recorded 48 drug-induced deaths in 2023, and overdoses are among the most common suicide methods. However, little is known about geographical differences in overdose presentations across the state. Using statewide emergency department (ED) data, this study aimed to identify and characterise geographical areas with high rates of individuals presenting with an overdose.

Methods:
8662 overdose-related ED presentations between 2017 and 2023 in Tasmania were included. Cluster areas with elevated risk related of overdose presentations were identified through retrospective discrete Poisson models. Sociodemographic characteristics were compared between cluster and non-cluster areas.

Results:
Twelve cluster areas were identified: eight in the Southern region, three in the North-West, and one in the North of Tasmania (Relative risk = 1.34-4.22). Individuals living inside and outside of cluster areas were predominately female (~67%), younger (0-24 years: ~49%), and lived within 10km of the ED (51%). A higher proportion of individuals in clusters were from highly socioeconomically disadvantaged areas (50%) than non-cluster areas (22%). Across clusters, the most common substances of overdose were paracetamol (22%), non-specific polypharmacy (19%), and antidepressants (18%), although paracetamol was more common in the North and Northwest compared to southern clusters .

Conclusions:
Across Tasmania, females aged <25 and those living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas are important target populations for overdose prevention. Clustering in areas proximal to the ED may reflect higher willingness to attend or access hospital services following an overdose , differences in suicide means in remote areas, or self-harm intent in some instances. The differences in substances involved in overdoses across clusters points to the importance of place-based understandings of the risk factors and prevention needs of individual communities within Tasmania.

Introduction: Delaying alcohol initiation in adolescence reduces the risk of harmful use in adulthood. Recent cohorts of adolescents in Australia and other high-income countries are less likely than previous cohorts to drink at all, or to drink at risky levels. This study aimed to address gaps in understanding by examining whether declines in drinking have been consistent across younger and older adolescents in Australia and whether declines have begun to plateau.

Methods: Data were from a repeated cross-sectional survey of Australian secondary school students aged 12-17 years, conducted triennially between 2002 and 2017 and then in 2022/23. Students self-reported lifetime (ever had part of an alcoholic drink), past-month and past-week alcohol use, and risky alcohol use among past-week drinkers (5+ drinks on any one day). Linear and segmented regression analyses were conducted to investigate differences in alcohol use trends among younger (12- to 15-year-old) and older (16- to 17-year-old) students from 2002-2011 and 2014-2022/23.

Results: Significant linear declines in alcohol use (lifetime, past-month, past-week) were observed in both age groups from 2002-2022/23, with slightly steeper declines in lifetime use for younger students (which slowed from 2014-2022/23) and past-week use for older students. Risky alcohol use among past-week drinkers significantly declined from 2002-2011 for older but not younger students, whereas there was no significant decline in either age group from 2014-2022/23.

Conclusions: Findings indicate an overall decline in alcohol use among younger and older adolescents in Australia since 2002 that has slowed in more recent years. Given the vast health, economic, and social benefits of reducing population-level alcohol use, policies and other prevention levers are still needed to continue driving and accelerating declines in adolescent drinking in Australia. In addition, targeted efforts to address risky drinking among the remaining past-week drinkers may be needed.

Problem: The Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) Program is the Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF)’s place-based program that seeks strengthen protective factors and address related risk factors for alcohol and other drug (AOD) harms within communities. The program (1) supports community coalitions (LDATs) to consult with their community to identify their local AOD issues and their drivers, and (2) helps LDATs to select, tailor, implement and evaluate evidence-informed activities in response to these issues. Given the diversity of community-led place-based activities being implemented across 270 LDATs throughout Australia, there are significant challenges for evaluating the individual and cumulative impacts of LDATs.
What you did: To evaluate the cumulative impact of LDATs, a new evaluation approach was needed. The approach needed to (1) provide structure and guidance to LDATs (2) enable flexibility (3) be appropriate for all LDATs (4) build LDAT evaluation capacity and (5) be sustainable. To address these needs, we created a series of LDAT Evaluation Tools: an evaluation measures guide and alternate methods guide.
Results: The application of these guides in LDATs enabled the assessment of the program’s cumulative impact. Between 2021 and 2025, (1) campaign and awareness raising activities were run 36 times by LDATs, of which 93% resulted in a positive impact and reached >11,000 people, and (2) 124 training sessions or workshops were run by LDAT, which involved >10,000 people and 93% of which generated a positive result.
Lesson: The evaluation of the LDAT Program has evolved over the years. The preliminary findings from the current evaluation are promising, however, there is a need to continue to develop and refine of our processes to foster and grow the evaluation capability of communities.

Problem: Stigma, misinformation, and low trust can significantly impact access to information about alcohol and other drugs (AOD). While people prefer to seek AOD information online, there can be quality and accessibility issues which can delay people accessing the right information at the right time. AI technology via Large Language Models (LLMs) provide an opportunity to address these barriers.

What we did: An LLM-powered chatbot ‘dib’ was developed within an ethical framework and guided by a clinical advisory committee. dib prioritises accessibility and trust, integrating the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) and evidence-based harm reduction focused content drawn from the Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF) website. Evaluation has included user testing with 100+ participants and analytics tracking information accuracy and accessibility.

Results: In the first eight months, dib demonstrated effectiveness through increased willingness to seek information via private chatbot interactions with more than 24,000 conversations overall with 17,961 unique users and 1,361 return users. Average engagement time is 2:22 minutes compared to 1:07 minutes on the website. Engagement with dib is highest among those aged 18-24-years (60% of users). Data from a conversational analytics system allowed the identification of AOD topics, sub-topics and substances being discussed in conversations with dib with a large proportion of conversations about alcohol and help seeking related to cessation and family support. This evidence-based approach demonstrates how emerging technologies can overcome barriers to AOD information and the potential of real-time data to inform content development for tailored and personalized information and guidance.

Lessons: Digital tools and monitoring systems can enhance rather than replace human-centred approaches and can reduce manual risk assessments. Responding to user needs, the conversational analytics system combined with human monitoring has improved harm reduction information, content covering intoxication and consent, and targeted practical self-help advice on the ADF website.

Introduction. Price promotions and bulk discounts on alcohol are prevalent in off-premise retailers in Australia and may promote bulk purchasing and/or stockpiling of alcohol leading to increased consumption. This study aimed to assess the perceived impact of common price promotion strategies on alcohol purchasing by Australian adults.
Methods. Participants in the Nov/Dec 2024 Shape of Australia online population survey of Australian adults aged 18-65 who consumed alcohol in the past year and purchase alcohol in bottle shops or online (n=1,416), reported which factor(s) cause them to buy more alcohol than they had intended to (selecting from a list of pricing strategies). The non-probability data were adjusted using population benchmarks and multivariable logistic regression models analysed prevalence and predictors of perceived impact of each strategy.
Results. Fifty-four percent of participants indicated that at least one price promotion strategy made them buy more alcohol than intended. Discounted prices (e.g., “was $40, now $32”) was nominated as impacting purchases by the largest proportion of participants (40.2%), while multi-buy (e.g., “Any 2 for $30”) and bulk-buy (e.g., lower price per volume when purchased as six-pack or carton than single product) strategies were nominated by 23.6% and 21.2% of participants, respectively. A significantly higher proportion of frequent alcohol consumers (5+ days /week, compared to less frequent consumers) reported that multi-buy, bulk-buy, and any price promotion strategy increased the amount of alcohol they purchased; and a significantly higher proportion of young adults (aged 18-24-years, compared to those 45-65-years) reported bulk-buy discounts made them purchase more. There were no differences by gender, socioeconomic status, regionality, or education.
Conclusions. Restricting alcohol price promotions and bulk discounts may reduce alcohol purchasing and consumption, especially among younger and more frequent alcohol consumers, complementing other highly impactful pricing policies such as minimum unit pricing and volumetric taxation.

Intro: Significant barriers hinder the application of research evidence to inform community-level prevention activities to reduce and minimise alcohol and other drug (AOD) harms. Barriers include lack of guidance and a lack of trust in the generalisability of research evidence. Research evidence can also be jargon laden, sit behind paywalls and require research experience to interpret. Thus, translation of evidence into practice requires channels which are meaningful to, and accessible for those from non-academic backgrounds. Seeking feedback on how to improve research translation from stakeholders is therefore essential.

Methods: We conducted an umbrella review of the impact of comprehensive community initiatives (CCI) on AOD harms and systematic review of primary evaluation studies. We then drafted an online resource to support the translation of this research for use in practice and policy. Through principles of user centred design and design-science research methodology we conducted eight semi-structured group discussions with 17 stakeholders to identify themes related to practical application, completeness, and interactivity of the resource.

Results: A total of 87 systematic reviews were identified and 260 evaluation studies on the impact of CCI on AOD harms. Data extraction included details on the CCI prevention activities, the communities involved, and impact. We considered different modalities to facilitate access to this data and developed a draft online resource to display this complex research evidence with functionality and features devised by a data visualisation expert. Data from the stakeholder co-design process is being analysed and used to iteratively refine the tool.

Conclusions: This online resource (expected to be available in June 2026) will provide a rigorously designed and updateable resource that summarises evidence around CCI on the prevention of AOD harms. This unique resource allows for community volunteers, program workers and policy makers to filter available data to be personally meaningful, promoting evidence-based prevention.

Introduction:
The commercial determinants of health (CDoH) are a rapidly growing area of public health. Young people are particularly vulnerable to the tactics of harmful industries such as tobacco, alcohol, gambling, ultra-processed food, and fossil fuels. While most research has focused on young people’s attitudes towards industry marketing strategies, limited research has explored how they conceptualise CDoH, identify priority issues, perceive government responses, and ways they would like to be involved.

Methods:
Ten online focus groups were conducted in September 2024 with 28 young people aged 16–24 years in Victoria, Australia. Participants discussed key issues affecting young people, harmful industry marketing, government roles in protecting youth, and strategies for youth engagement. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results:
Participants identified the cost-of-living crisis and housing as major challenges for young people, as well as issues relating to harmful industries like social media, climate change, and vaping. While young people could discuss overt marketing strategies on television and social media advertising, they were less familiar with covert tactics such as corporate social responsibility initiatives and political donations. Many expressed scepticism about governments willingness to act, as some perceived that governments only cared about votes rather protecting young people from harmful industries. Participants called for diverse, accessible opportunities for young people to engage in advocacy and shape public health responses, recognising that it would not be a one size fits all.

Conclusion:
Young people are highly capacity of discussing the CDoH and issues that are impacting their health and wellbeing. This study highlights the need for governments and the public health community to meaningfully involve young people in all aspects of research, practice and policy relating to the CDoH. Creating inclusive engagement strategies that prioritise the needs of young people is critical to addressing harmful industries and the CDoH.

This presentation explores the complexities, challenges, and outcomes of reforming governance and operational systems within a peer-led public health organisation, without compromising the integrity of lived experience, cultural identity, or trust with a marginalised community.

SWOP NSW, Australia’s largest peer-led sex worker health organisation, has a proud history of centring lived experience in program design and service delivery. However, like many grassroots peer-based services, it also developed over time with limited structural scaffolding. Leadership transitions were often informal, and governance–operational boundaries were blurred. While the organisation had strong values and deep community trust, it carried operational and reputational risks due to inconsistent systems, ad hoc leadership structures, and underdeveloped risk oversight.

In 2024, the situation became critical. The organisation experienced a period of acute instability marked by leadership fatigue, role confusion, and growing risk exposure. Recognising the need for urgent structural change, the Board appointed a new CEO in early 2025, with experience in public sector governance, community development, and systemic reform.

The reform agenda that followed was ambitious but necessary. Core challenges included embedding policy-aligned governance practices, clarifying executive accountability, introducing risk and compliance systems, and realigning operational workflows. But the deeper challenge was cultural: how to implement these reforms without alienating the community, disempowering peer leadership, or losing the trust that SWOP had spent decades building.

In many peer-led organisations, the governance structure is not just a function, it is a symbol of community ownership. Replacing informal mechanisms with formal frameworks risks being seen as bureaucratic or disconnected. Yet without structure, the very survival of peer organisations can be at risk, particularly when reliant on public funding and ministerial compliance.

This presentation outlines how SWOP navigated this tension. Drawing on principles of trauma-informed leadership, power-sharing, and cultural safety, the CEO worked with staff and Board to co-create a governance framework that protected peer leadership while embedding accountability. This included:

• Redefining the role of the CEO as a systems leader, not just a manager.
• Repositioning the Board from operational "rescuers" to strategic stewards.
• Introducing a lived-experience-informed governance induction.
• Establishing a risk register, governance calendar, and performance oversight system.
• Addressing unresolved conflicts of interest at Board level.
• Building transparent communication pathways between governance and operations.


The reforms were not always comfortable. Some Board members initially perceived the changes as a loss of relevance or control. Long-standing informal practices had to be gently but firmly replaced. But through patient explanation, values-based framing, and respectful challenge, the organisation began to shift.

Results within six months included:

• Restoration of structural and leadership stability.
• Significant uplift in staff clarity, confidence, and performance.
• Enhanced credibility with funders and stakeholders.
• Clearer CEO–Board boundaries aligned to good governance principles.
• A new strategic risk management culture emerging.

Critically, peer identity was not lost, it was safeguarded. Reforms were presented not as “professionalisation” at the expense of community, but as necessary maturity to protect the peer-led ethos long-term.

This case study offers lessons for any organisation seeking to transition from informal to formal systems while holding fast to the values of empowerment, lived experience, and community control. It shows that compliance and compassion are not opposites, and that reform, when done with integrity, can strengthen the soul of a peer-led organisation rather than threaten it.

In an era where community trust and cultural relevance are essential to public health prevention, the SWOP NSW experience demonstrates that centring people, systems, and values together is not only possible, it is essential.

Problem: Sexual Violence prevention programs in tertiary settings have been limited, with few co-educational programs for students living in residences. The Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) evidence-informed Consent and Respectful Education (CaRE) Schools program 'CaRE@Schools' program is an established model that, through a collaboration with La Trobe University, has been adapted for residential students at the University of Tasmania (UTAS). The project demonstrates how community-based prevention expertise can be effectively scaled and embedded in new environments when guided by a shared framework, collaborative design, and rigorous evaluation.
What you did: SASS adapted the existing CaRE@School program architecture by integrating the La Trobe University’s Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence and Harassment Theory of Change, enabling the tertiary adapted program to evolve for adult learners living in student residences. Collaborating with UTAS Student Experience and Wellbeing teams, the CaRE@University project explored how prevention education could be delivered in ways that reflected the complexities of adult peer cultures, transitional life stages, and the residential context.
Results: SASS led the design and facilitation of pilot education sessions, drawing on its practice-based experience in community prevention, trauma-informed facilitation, and systems change. The collaboration with La Trobe University has provided theoretical rigour and evaluation design, while UTAS ensured alignment with institutional policy, wellbeing systems, and equity goals. This agile, co-design approach enabled iterative refinement of the content and delivery to ensure relevance, engagement, and sustainability. The project illustrates how practitioner-led innovation, grounded in evidence and supported by academic and institutional partnerships, can accelerate the translation of “what works” into meaningful, context-responsive action.
Lessons: The project highlights the need for scalable, values-based prevention models, tailored for various tertiary residential settings and students. The practitioner team will share the challenges, successes and learnings from implementing a cross-sector collaboration project between research, policy, and practice. Future considerations and recommendations for building organisational capability to embed sustainable, evidence – informed sexual violence prevention in tertiary settings will be explored.

Social connection is a recognised determinant of health, and digital environments now play a central role in how young people connect, learn and seek help. Recent legislation to restrict people under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms presents significant implications for preventive health. While the intention of the policy is to reduce exposure to online harms, the loss of digital connection may unintentionally increase risk factors for isolation, mental distress and disengagement from support services.

For many young people - particularly those who are LGBTIQ+, live in regional areas, or experience family rejection - online spaces are often the only environments where they feel safe, affirmed and connected to peers. Social media facilitates access to health information, peer networks and helplines, such as QLife, that are integral components of Australia’s preventive health infrastructure. Limiting access to these spaces risks widening health inequities and undermines the principles of sustained prevention, which rely on continuous access to trusted information and supportive networks.

This presentation will explore digital connection as a form of sustainable prevention. It will examine how social media platforms contribute to early intervention, health literacy, and the promotion of positive mental health among young people. Drawing on emerging research and consultation with LGBTIQ+ community-controlled organisations, it will outline the potential unintended consequences of restricting online engagement, and present recommendations for balanced regulation that protects safety while preserving connection.

By reframing digital participation as a protective factor rather than a risk, this discussion highlights the need for preventive health policy to evolve with the realities of young people’s lives. Sustainable prevention depends not only on limiting harm but on enabling connection - online as well as offline - so that all young people can access the relationships, knowledge and support that underpin long-term wellbeing.

INTRODUCTION
Artificial intelligence (AI) -driven chatbots are increasingly used in health care, including nutrition counselling and weight management. However, there is limited evidence on the quality, safety, and cultural relevance of chatbot-generated advice. This is especially concerning for individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds and those with low health literacy, who already face barriers in accessing traditional nutrition care. The purpose of this study is to map out the validity, accessibility, and equity of chatbot-based tools in this context.


METHODS
A scoping review is being conducted in accordance with the Joanna Brigs Institute methodology for evidence synthesis. A total of 9 databases were searched using a comprehensive search strategy for peer reviewed literature. Eligible studies were included if they incorporated AI based chatbot(/s) and focused on weight management.


RESULTS
This scoping review is currently underway, with early mapping of the literature indicating a variety of use cases of AI-based chatbots in nutrition care, however, display a lack of meticulous evaluation of these chatbot inputs and outputs, especially for CALD individuals or individuals with low health literacy. Preliminary findings also suggest a misalignment of outputs with dietitian experts, clinical standards, and governance frameworks.


CONCLUSION
This review will inform future developments in this space, spanning from legislation and policy to clinical practice guidelines. Specifically, this review will facilitate the validation of outputs, and the formation of preliminary practice guidelines for safety and equity of use for multilingual individuals and individuals with low health literacy and pave a way for this technology to be incorporated into medical nutrition therapy in the future, and therefore leverage this advancing technology to aid in the personalised prevention of non-communicable diseases.