Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #102100

Kathleen Herr-Zaya, PhD¹, Ruth Grabel, MPA², Barbara Lambiaso, MSW, MPH³, Jose Morales, MSW¹, Nell Curran, BA (expected 05)¹, Margaret Giovannetti, BA¹, Stefano Keel, LICSW, MMHS¹, and Karen Schoneman, MA³. (1) Bureau of Substance Abuse Services, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 250 Washington St., 3rd Floor, Suffolk County, Boston, MA 02108, 617-624-5143, Kathleen.Herr-Zaya@state.ma.us, (2) Office of Elder Health, Division of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Center for Community Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 250 Washington St., Suffolk County, Boston, MA 02108, (3) Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse, The Medical Foundation, 95 Berkeley St., Suffolk County, Boston, MA 02116

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health aims to decrease racial and ethnic disparities in substance abuse rates and subsequent health problems. The Bureau of Substance Abuse Services' Social Marketing Plan targets a spectrum of populations and ethnicities. The overarching objectives are to: decrease underage drinking; increase the age at which alcohol is first used; and decrease the negative consequences of elderly persons' combining alcohol and medications. Inviting print materials are produced for parents, elders, and health care providers. Studies have documented that language barriers among the elderly population can inhibit the communication of accurate and appropriate medical advice. To effectively address this problem, culturally appropriate materials were developed. The Medical Foundation (TMF), a non-profit public health consulting agency has innovatively involved community agencies in creating culturally-specific multi-lingual materials. This collaborative process was used to adapt the Mature Media Award-winning booklet Healthy Aging/Medications and Alcohol for the Latino population. TMF contracts with agencies that serve diverse populations to gather information on: 1) tone, 2) content, 3) images, 4) design, 5) color and 6) layout. After drafts are written, suggestions for improvement are gathered through surveys, interviews and discussion groups with gatekeepers and the target population. This agency, with expertise ranging from community heath assessment to communications campaigns, collaborates successfully to distribute products through health, elder, housing, and other innovative channels. The presentation of quantitative data will be complemented by qualitative information from service providers. The inclusion of multi-cultural materials has significantly increased the interest in all of our prevention products.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able to describe an effective and cost-efficient model for engaging multi-cultural populations in the creation and assessment of substance abuse prevention print media.
• Participants will be able to discuss the cultural factors that affect message and design features of effective print materials.
• Participants will be able to use the newly acquired knowledge to involve community agencies, innovative channels and coordinated services in creating and disseminating attractive and compelling prevention products to reduce health disparities.

Keywords: Social Marketing, Health Disparities

Related Web page: www.maclearinghouse.com

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation