Quality Nights

Contact name: 
Jochen Schrooten
Position: 
Staff member
Organization: 
Modus Vivendi for French speaking part. VAD for Flemisch speaking part of Belgium
Telephone: 
0032 2 423 03 54
Address: 
Vanderlindenstraat 15, 1030 Brussel
Fax: 
0032 2 423 03 34
E-Mail: 
jochen.schrooten@vad.be
Web: 
http://qualitynights.be/

Abstract

Characteristics

Quality Nights is a health promotion label which aims at reducing risks pertaining to nightlife scenes. How? By improving nightlife settings, such as the way clubbers are welcomed into the venues but also by providing them information, advices and material to reduce risks. Quality Nights clubs and events engage themselves to provide services like: free water, free earplugs, cheap or free condoms, leaflets about health information, messages from the early warning system.

Partygoers as well as the parties venue management have both responsibilities in keeping the event safe.

Intervention details

Problem addressed
Hearing damage
Intervention setting
Mass Media
Bar
Club/ disco/ afters
Event
Internet
Social Media
Target population

All the partygoers between 16 and 45 years old, male and female.

Strategic target group (social agents acting as intermediaries between intervention and target group)

Quality Nights works with the nightlife professionals to provide the different health services to the public.

Intervention activities
Providing environmental services
Training of staff
Actions
Staff training: A minimum of 50% of staff members in contact with the public (barmen, barmaids, bouncers, restroom attendants) will follow this training (introduction to first aid, to managing conflicts, to health problems linked to the use of lawful or unlawful substances, to sound level damages and to harm reduction, etc.);Health information: Provision of information about health matters related to nightlife: love and sex, road safety, hearing damages, medical and emergency numbers, etc.;Condoms supply: Condoms will be provided at reasonable prices and available at an automatic booth or by the restroom attendant, the bar staff, etc. In any case, visibility of the service is important;Free water: Cold free-of-charge fresh water is offered. The service is accessible and clearly indicated to the public, either by placing water fountains, or by checking at the bar, or in the restrooms;Sound level: Earplugs will be available at reasonable price, and/or the placement of a sound level limiter (constant 90dB max) will be envisaged. Venues are signing up to limit as much as possible risks of hearing damages for their public. On the dance floor or near the stage, they may place a visible line on the floor to indicate possible hearing damage risks to anyone standing too close to the speakers;Safe transport: information about diferent kinds of alternative transport possibilities are communicated tot he public, alcohol breathalysers are available in the venue. Additional services The label also encourages organizers to introduce other measures for the wellbeing of their clients. Wheelchair access, a chill out room, a menu of non-alcoholic cocktails (min. 3), stands with information about reducing risks linked to the use of drugs, first aid, cloackrooms, (healthy) food, etc.
Theory/evidence behind the intervention

Quality nights is based on the healthy settings approach. In order to protect young people's health, a variety of harm reduction interventions can be implemented, often focusing on the direct effects of substance use. However, the risk to health posed by substances is also related to the nightlife environmental in which they are used. A healthy settings approach to nightclubs allows environmental issues and substance use to be tackled together. Consequently, a wider range of individuals and organisations feel capable of participating in the risk reduction process.

Number of people needed
1/2 for coordination per region (Flanders/Wallonie), 1/2 for communication per region; Fieldworkers to implement the services in clubs and at (dance)events
Specific training required?
Field workers are trained to implement Quality Nights services in clubs and at events
Time required to run
For field workers: total implementation time / venue (1 week)
Other resource requirements

No.

Evaluation details

Activities evaluated
  • Training sessions
  • Average number of services provided in venues
  • Online activities (website, facebook)
  • Number of clubs and events labelised in Quality nights
  • Numbers of visitors in QN venues
  • Satisfaction about Quality nights from club owners & event organisers
  • Satisfaction about QN from party people
  • The use of different QN services
Type of evaluator (e.g. external consultant, internal evaluator)
Both internal and external
Evaluation results (Outcome evaluation)

More than 70 venues all over Belgium and 4 in France are labelised under Quality Nights. These venues are visited by more than 1 million revellers per year. In avarage 11 health services are provided to the public. Trainings have been evaluated very well. Satisfaction from club manare and event promotors is high. Most revellers are happy with the QN services that are provided to protect their health.

Evaluation results (Other)

Ensure enough time to develop the intervention. Involve different stakeholders from the very beginning. Keep control about the implementation.

Evaluation references

The results from the flemisch part can be found here: https://magic.piktochart.com/output/4605673-quality-nights-resultaten-2014 The results of the Frech part can be found here: http://educationsante.be/media/filer_public/32/09/3209aaa9-fc5c-4e81-943...

Last update: April 2016