 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Lisa V. Stone, MD, MPH, Wellesley Board of Health, 63 Hastings Street, Wellesley, MA 02482, 781 235-0135, lisavstone@aol.com and Shepard Cohen, MPA, Mass Institute for Local Public Health, 38 Cartwright Rd., Wellesley, MA 02482-7103.
In December 1999, a series of potentially life-threatening incidents involving underage drinking alarmed our community. The community drug and alcohol coalition, concerned about the apparent escalation of the problem, turned to the Board of Health for leadership. In response, the Board of Health developed and implemented a successful study circle program. This program identified common ground on a complex and frequently divisive issue, and created a blueprint for change. The positive effects from this program are on going.
The Study Circle Method is a process of public deliberation being used by hundreds of communities across the nation on topics ranging from racism to urban sprawl. They involve large-scale citizen input in community building and problem solving and can help to break down barriers of age, race, and other characteristics that often divide communities.
Our program objectives were to identify community concerns about underage drinking, broaden the dialogue, and recommend specific positive action steps. Outcomes include the development of an alcohol curriculum for the high school, a teen coffeehouse program, police-teen dialogues, and federal funding of a social norm marketing approach to underage drinking which is currently underway.
Two unique components were largely responsible for the success of this program - the community-based approach led by our local Board of Health and the use of the Study Circle Method. This program, combined with efforts around policy, access, and enforcement, is an innovative and effective addition to an environmental management approach to underage and high risk drinking.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Alcohol, Community-Based Health Promotion
Related Web page: www.studycircles.org
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Study Circle Resource Center, Pomfret, CT
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.