Medical student delivery of alcohol education to high school pupils: the MEDALC programme.

There is increasing concern about the inappropriate use of alcohol by teenagers and young adults. The objective of this study was to assess the practicality of developing an alcohol education programme for school pupils delivered by medical students. The study design was of a prospective, observational, interventional cohort study. The primary outcomes were the number of schools, school pupils and medical students participating in the programme. Secondary outcomes were quantitative and qualitative measures derived from the feedback received from the participants. Over a three-year period, 60 medical students provided alcohol education sessions to 1,780 high school pupils (aged 13-15 years) within seven schools in Wales. Strongly positive feedback was obtained from all stakeholders and all schools asked to be included in future programmes. In conclusion, medical student-delivered teaching of alcohol education programmes to school pupils appears to be feasible and welcome by schools, teachers, pupils and medical students.