Re- Enforcing Factors Related to Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages amongst High School Students in the North Central Province, Liberia

Abstract

This study endeavored to establish trends in the re-enforcing factor related to the consumption of alcoholic beverages among high school students in Liberia, using an experimental research design.  A sample of 440 students from two selected schools was determined using Cochran’s formula. A sixteen item questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.70 was administered to the 440 students to identify those who drink alcohol. Applying G Power formula, 84 students were randomly selected out of the 170 students who drink alcohol as participants. Another validated questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.76 was used to collect data from the field. Descriptive statistics and t-test were used to analyze the data. The study concludes that the use of the Alcohol and Life Skills Training Model, which was employed to the experimental group is an effective educational tool to prepare students to make responsible decision about abstaining from drinking alcoholic beverages than the HIV/ AIDS Model which was employed to the control group. It is therefore recommended that the Government of Liberia should adopt the Alcohol and Life Skills Training Model into the National High School Curriculum in order to prevent and control the consumption of alcohol by students in high schools. Secondly,  researchers and the Ministry of Education in conjunction with other Ministries such as Health and Youth should conduct further research on a wider scale on alcohol consumption among the youth,  including the in-school and the out of school adolescents in Liberia.