Research
Hello Sunday Morning is committed to ethical, high quality, meaningful, inclusive and quality-driven research and evaluation.
Research guides the way forward
We use the findings from our research to improve Hello Sunday Morning programs and services, ensuring the best possible outcomes for our community members who want to rethink their relationship with alcohol.
We support inclusive and consumer-centred research efforts, and recognise the importance of involvement in research and evaluation by those with lived experience or are currently on a journey of change. Our Research and Evaluation Framework outlines our commitment to this insightful research and evaluation process.
Research Outputs
The economic impact of changing our relationship with alcohol: the Daybreak program
Daybreak helps Australians to change their relationship with alcohol with access to an on-line peer community, habit changing activities and supports, and one-on-one chats with health coaches. This paper analyses Hello Sunday Morning’s Daybreak, including comparing the Daybreak app as a standalone intervention against a broader program including the app coupled with counselling. The core conclusion of this review is that the Daybreak program provides a return on investment to the broader economy in the range of 2.49:1 for every dollar provided by the Federal Government.
A Digital Intervention Addressing Alcohol Use Problems: Quasi-Experimental Randomized Controlled Trial
Alcohol use is prevalent in many societies and has major adverse impacts on health, but the availability of effective interventions limits treatment options for those who want assistance in changing their patterns of alcohol use. This study evaluated the new Daybreak program, which is accessible via mobile app and desktop and was developed by Hello Sunday Morning to support high-risk drinking individuals looking to change their relationship with alcohol. In particular, we compared the effect of adding online coaching via real-time chat messages (intervention group) to an otherwise self-guided program (control group).
Victorian participation in Hello Sunday Morning: Benefits, barriers and strategies when giving up alcohol
Preventing harm from alcohol is one of VicHealth’s five strategic imperatives identified in our Action Agenda for Health Promotion to improve the health of all Victorians. To achieve this goal, VicHealth is committed to influencing drinking cultures to encourage more Victorians to drink less. This research sought to explore how participation in Hello Sunday Morning (HSM) impacts drinking behaviour among Victorians, and the motivations, barriers and enablers experienced by Victorian HSM users during their engagement with the program. VicHealth funded the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (part of Turning Point at the time) to undertake this research, with results finding that HSM is likely to be an effective mechanism both for reducing an individual’s drinking, and for changing the way that people think about alcohol – both important steps towards re-shaping cultures of drinking.
Research opportunities
Use of telehealth for counselling services delivered by alcohol and other drug treatment organisations
The National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) is currently conducting a project focussed on the potential role for telehealth in the delivery of alcohol and other drug services. Hello Sunday Morning is part of the Project Advisory Group. NCETA is currently looking for research participants. Are you someone who has undergone alcohol and other drug treatment counselling via phone or video and face-to-face within the past 12 months? They want to hear from you! More information HERE. You can also contact Dr Ashlea Bartram (ashlea.bartram@flinders.edu.au) for more information.
Online relationship support for couples affected by alcohol and other drug use
Are you or your partner struggling with alcohol or other drug problems and is this impacting your relationship with your partner? Do you want to improve communication skills, regain intimacy, and build more trust with your partner? Hello Sunday Morning is collaborating with Deakin University, Odyssey Victoria, Windana, and Anglicare to evaluate how online interventions can help you uncover, understand, and solve partner relationship issues. The project is still in its beginning stages but recruitment is expected to start early 2025. Feel free to contact the team at relationship-trial@deakin.edu.au for more information.
