6. Managerial implications
We discuss managerial implications in terms of potential
interventions that university management may consider across
the three countries of interest. Effectively addressing alcohol
consumption among young university women irrespective of
country is a multi-sectoral issue, requiring the collaborative
efforts of governments, universities and the students
themselves. As such, Lee and Kotler’s (2011) framework of
upstream, midstream and downstream interventions is
appropriate. In concert with the aforementioned upstream
interventions targeting legislation, midstream interventions
that involve other universities and downstream interventions
aimed at young university women would complement.
We suggest that midstream interventions involve the
development of programs across multiple universities in
each country, and potentially internationally. For example,
universities may review or develop policies and procedures
around fostering an environment and providing services and
information that enhance the health and wellbeing of
students, noting that while students are responsible for their
own actions, the academic and social life of the university is a
shared responsibility. In terms of our study, we suggest that
universities work collectively to develop a set of principles to
frame the shared responsibility of alcohol consumption
among young university women. By way of illustration, in
Australia the peak body Universities Australia may endorse a
set of related principles that universities are to provide oncampus
women’s alcohol education and support programs.
Other potential initiatives that involve both midstream and
downstream interventions may include developing an online education and support program for young women at
university, or shared education and support resources
available across multiple universities. Similarly, shared
education material about the role of alcohol price and
susceptibility to retailer sales promotions as well as the
consequences of alcohol consumption and guides on
responsible drinking targeted at young women at university
that is distributed purposively at times of high alcohol
consumption is suggested. Furthermore, universities may as a
collective open dialogue with alcohol retailers in their campus
surrounds, seeking to work together in term of distributing
educational material and limiting or shaping the timing of
alcohol sales promotions. Developing women-to-women peerbased
interventions that would include information about the
susceptibility to alcohol sales promotions and be focused
upon changing attitudes may be considered by universities
independently or as a collective initiative.