Alcohol use frequently contributes to injury and death among adolescents. To develop a brief audio intervention to reduce alcohol use and associated risks, a series of 20 focus groups were conducted. The aims of the focus groups were to understand adolescents' thoughts and concerns about alcohol use and its affect on other risky behaviors, and then to pretest a new audio education intervention. Participants included urban and suburban Washington, D.C. 12-17 year olds. Participants were recruited from schools, after-school programs, recreation centers, youth groups, adolescent group homes and churches. Written topic guides were used to structure the discussions conducted by trained facilitators. Discussions were audio-taped for content review by the researchers. The initial set of focus groups revealed that teens: 1) were often exposed to alcohol users and opportunities for alcohol use, 2) did not know the relative alcohol content of various alcoholic beverages, 3) did not have a specific definition of "a drink", 4) were not fully aware of alcohol's affect on judgement, 5) did not associate risk of injury and death with alcohol use, and 6) did not identify the desire to "fit-in" as peer pressure. In pre-testing of audio education, teens thought an effective audio must include: 1) hard-hitting information about consequences of alcohol use, 2) scenarios using teen voices, 3) examples of ways to refuse alcohol, 4) examples of alternative activities, and 5) information about marijuana. The final audio intervention is being tested as part of adolescent general health examinations in managed care.
Learning Objectives: 1. To intensify appreciation for the usefullness of including the target population in educational research development. 2. To increase awareness of barriers to adolescent alcohol risk reduction.
Keywords: Alcohol, Adolescents
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.