Participant information sheet

Participant Information Sheet for Listening and Sharing Sessions

Study title: Storytelling Promoting Alcohol Choice, Empowerment and Sharing (SPACES): Supporting mid-life women who would like to reduce their alcohol consumption.

Research Team

Dr Emma Davies, Dr Jennifer Seddon, Dr Abi Rose, Dr Fiona Matley, Professor Eila Watson

Contact details: email spacesproject@brookes.ac.uk, telephone number: 01865 543803

You are being invited to take part in a research study. Before you decide whether or not to take part, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully.

What is the purpose of the study?

Alcohol consumption among mid-life women aged 40-65 is a growing concern in the UK, with one in five now drinking at levels that could increase future health harms. However, women’s drinking is a very under researched area and there is a lack of evidence based resources for women who would like to reduce their alcohol consumption.

In our research project, we aim to develop a new resource for women who would like to make changes to their alcohol consumption. This resource will include relatable stories about how other women have navigated making changes to their drinking habits. The stories will be linked to evidence based behaviour change tools that women have told us worked for them in the past. 

The purpose of conducting listening and sharing sessions is to understand women’s experiences of reducing alcohol consumption. We want to broaden perspectives on why women have chosen to reduce their drinking, what has helped people to cut down, and what has been important to them since they have made changes. With your permission, anonymised elements of the stories shared with us may form the basis of stories we use in our new resource. 

We are aware that alcohol use can be a difficult topic to talk about. The research team includes women aged 40-65 who themselves have experiences of making changes to their drinking. We would like to reassure you that we are here to listen and learn from you and your experiences.

Why have I been invited to participate?

If you have reduced your alcohol intake over the last five years, we are interested in hearing your story about how this happened. We are inviting women aged between 40 and 65, who currently reside in the UK to take part. 

Do I have to take part?

No, giving your permission and taking part in the study is entirely voluntary. If you decide to take part, you will be asked to give your consent before starting the study. If you decide to take part you are still free to withdraw at any time without providing a reason. Any data collected from you can be withdrawn up to the point of analysis by contacting the researchers. Analysis will begin one week after each session takes place.

What will happen to me if I take part?

If you decide to take part, then you will be a member of a group storytelling workshop with up to three other women, or you may prefer to share your story in a one to one interview with a member of the research team. This will take place either on Zoom or in person and will be audio recorded only (we will not record a video of the session). Group sessions will last up to two hours and individual interviews will last up to one hour. 

If you take part in a group workshop, the following things will happen.

• At the start the researcher will introduce themselves and ask you to introduce yourself to the other people in the group. You can use your real name or use a made up name if you prefer. You will have the opportunity to ask questions about the research. 

• Each person will be invited to share their story in turn. This will be followed by a supportive group discussion on sharing stories for our new resource. This means that you should only take part if you are happy to share your story with the research team and other people in the workshop. 

• You do not have to answer any questions or share any information that you do not want to and can leave the workshop at any time. 

• The workshop will last two hours, and will include a break. 

If you take part in an individual interview then the following things will happen.

• At the start the researcher will introduce themselves to you and you will have the opportunity to ask questions about the research.

• You will be invited to share your story with the researcher and they will then ask you your opinion about sharing stories for our new resource. You do not have to share any information that you do not want to and can ask to end the interview any time. 

• The interview will last up to one hour. You can take a break at any point.  

We will offer you shopping vouchers for Love to Shop or Amazon afterwards as a gesture of thanks for your kind participation.

Elements of the stories shared in the workshops and interviews will then be used to inform the creation of materials for our new resource. Stories used in the resource will be fictionalised and will not use any identifying information. You will have the opportunity to review the materials that we create and you can ask us to make changes or remove details. This will happen within six weeks of the workshop or interview taking place. 

Are there any risks involved?

It is possible that once you have taken part in this study you might have questions or want information about your own or someone else’s drinking. You can find support at the following webpages

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/alcohol-support/  

https://alcoholchange.org.uk/help-and-support/get-help-now  

You can also get help and advice from your own doctor (GP) or by phoning  Drinkline, a free, confidential helpline for people who are concerned about their drinking, or someone else's. Call 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am–8pm, weekends 11am–4pm).

What are the possible benefits of taking part?

There are no individual benefits to you, but if you choose to take part then you will be helping us to understand how to create a resource that uses stories to help women to reduce their alcohol consumption if they chose to do so. 

Will what I say in this study be kept confidential?

If you participate in the workshops then your contributions will be heard by the other people in those sessions. We ask that you do not share details of the workshop discussions outside of those sessions.We will audio record the sessions so we can analyse the data afterwards. Once we have transcribed the sessions the audio recordings will be deleted and any identifying details will be replaced in the transcripts. As we are only talking to a small number of people, then there is a small risk that someone could identify you from something you say. However, no identifying information will be included in any of the written work resulting from the study. To contact you about the study we will use your name and email address. You can read our privacy notice on our project website. https://sites.google.com/brookes.ac.uk/spaces/our-research/privacy-notice-for-research-participants 

What will happen to the results of the research study?

The results of this study will form part of a new resource for women who would like to make changes to their drinking habits. They will be presented at an online event in January 2026 and summarised in blogs and media articles. They will also be written up for publication in an academic journal and presented at a conference.  

We may also put an anonymised data set in a repository, such as the Open Science Framework, to assist with future research on this topic.  

All the data collected from this research will be kept in line with the University’s policy of Academic Integrity.  This means that all data will be securely stored in paper or electronic form for a period of 10 years when the project is finished. 

In addition, you will be able to see a summary of the research findings after the end of the project (after December 2025) on our website. https://sites.google.com/brookes.ac.uk/spaces/home. There will be details provided about how to get a printed summary of the findings available by contacting the researcher by email on edavies@brookes.ac.uk.

Who is organising and funding the research?

The project is being conducted by researchers at Oxford Brookes University and Liverpool John Moores University. It has been funded by The Medical Research Council, a UK organisation that funds research to improve human health. 

Ethical Approval

This study has been reviewed by Oxford Brookes University’s Research Ethics Committee (UREC committee number: 241837). If you have any concerns about the way in which the study has been conducted, you may contact the Chair of the Oxford Brookes University Research Ethics Committee on ethics@brookes.ac.uk.

What should I do if I want to take part?

If you have read this information and would like to be involved then please email the researchers on edavies@brookes.ac.uk or phone the researcher on 01865 543808.

Who can I contact if I have any questions?

Please ask the lead researcher, Dr Emma Davies if you have any questions or you want further information about this study.  My contact details are at the top of this page.          

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this information sheet

Dr Emma Davies

January 2025