Monash University

P.A.R.T.Y (Prevent Alcohol & Risk-Related Trauma in Youth) Online Program

The issue

As young people go through adolescence and become more independent, their opportunities to participate in risky behaviour increases. New independence and life skills along with experimentation with illicit substances and alcohol can make young people more prone to certain injuries such as falls, transport accidents, accidental poisoning, and assault. 

Injury is the leading cause of mortality in young Australians accounting for 73% of all deaths in those aged 15-24 years. As a result, survivors can experience significant long term health impacts, altering the path of their employment, education, and recreational opportunities.

The project

The Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth (P.A.R.T.Y.) Program is a dynamic and interactive injury awareness and health promotion program that shows real-life clinical examples of the consequences of engaging in risk-taking behaviour.

The program has been delivered successfully at The Alfred for schools since 2009, however since the COVID-19 pandemic began there has been a need to adapt the program online.

Monash University’s and Alfred Health's partnership with nib foundation supported the development of online video content, including reproduction consultation, development of storyboards and scripts, access to a studio, professional audio and video equipment, editing and composition and addition of effects to help deliver the online program.

The impact

By offering the P.A.R.T.Y Program online, access to the program has increased with over 700 high school students participating in FY23, ultimately improving awareness and knowledge of injury and risk-taking behaviour. In motivating young people to have self-agency when it comes to risky decision-making, the program helps to reduce injury and its associated consequences supporting the healthy future of young people.  

Check out the P.A.R.T.Y website

The issue

More than 1.4 million students are studying at Australia’s universities with the majority being young people. And with 75% of all mental health illnesses beginning in adolescence and young adulthood before the age of 24, their time at Uni is a critical period of vulnerability for mental ill-health.

Adding to this is the declining mental health of university students, with 25% having been diagnosed with a mental illness and 98.4% experiencing symptoms of mental health problems that have impacted their studies in the past year. The impact of COVID-19 has further exacerbated the issue, creating upheaval in education delivery and major long-term career and economic uncertainty.

The project

The team of neuroscience and mental health experts at Monash University’s BrainPark developed and piloted the PEAK program, a fun and empowering behaviour change program that embeds regular physical exercise into the lifestyles of Australian university students to improve their mental health, cognitive health, and brain health.

As a world-first amalgamation of innovative and rigorous practices from the fields of neuroscience, psychology, exercise physiology, human behaviour change and implementation research, the cutting-edge program supported students to be more physically active for the betterment of all aspects of their wellbeing and PEAK-performance.

The impact

The PEAK program was piloted in 2022 with both domestic and international students, aiming to equip them with healthy habits to maintain these for a lifetime. Over the 12 week pilot they completed at least 11,000 of exercise. The majority of students increased their neuroscience-informed physical exercise activity and reported improvements in their understanding of the positive relationships between physical exercise and mental, cognitive and brain health. They experienced improvements in perceived mental health including mood, wellbeing and resilience, and perceived cognitive health including concentration and memory.

Check out the PEAK Program website