[Evaluation of the results of a program of Responsible Service of Alcoholic Beverages applied in Professional Training Cycles of Hospitality and Catering.]

Objective: The abusive consumption of alcohol is a relevant health problem. Training hospitality professionals in Responsible Alcohol Service (RAS) is a way to minimize abusive consumption in leisure contexts. To date, no studies have been published on the effectiveness of this training in future hospitality professionals. This study presents the evaluation of the effectiveness of a training intervention carried out with Vocational Training students.

Methods: Eighty-one students were trained in RAS through a 4-hour course. To evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention, knowledge about alcohol was assessed before and after the activity. Attitude, self-efficacy perspective and expectations towards RAS were also evaluated. Finally, satisfaction with the activity was assessed. To do this, a comparison of means was carried out from a test-retest repeated measures design using Wilcoxon's nonparametric test of signed ranges. An individual analysis of the evolution of each participant was also carried out.

Results: From a group perspective, knowledge about the effects of alcohol (W=2.91; p=0.04), attitudes (W=3.52; p<0.001) and expectations (W=2.97; p=0.003) towards RAS improved after the intervention. Satisfaction with different aspects of the training ranged between 3.52 and 4.08 points out of 5.

Conclusions: RAS training with Vocational Training students favors accountability in the service of alcoholic beverages and increases expectations towards RAS. Likewise, to make specific adaptations for Vocational Training students is recommended.