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

Abstract #105867

E. Joan Henkle, DNS, RN¹, Anne E. Belcher, DNS, RN², Leslie A. Hulvershorn, MD¹, Wambui Grace Gathirua³, and Roberto G. Gamez, MD³. (1) School of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Indiana University, Regenstrief Health Center, 1050 Wishard Blvd., Room 4168, Indianapolis, IN 46202-2872, (2) Environments for Health, Indiana Univerisity School of Nursing, 1111 Middle Dr. RM 465, Indianapolis, IN 46202, 317-274-4750, abelche@iupui.edu, (3) Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, 1050 Wishard Blvd. RG 4147, Indianapolis, IN 46202

Innovative curriculum and community partnerships are needed in order to significantly impact the problem of substance abuse. This was a collaboration among students and faculty in four health professions (medicine, nursing, public health, and dentistry), a major city hospital, and the local city school system to provide a substance abuse prevention program for children in the classrooms. Inter-professional student teaching teams, who serve as role models inspiring children to make wise decisions regarding their health and future, teach this two-session program. The curriculum is based upon the premise that in order for children to make healthy choices, they must have the knowledge and skills necessary to make decisions and understand the consequences of those decisions. The first session focuses on normal internal organ function and the deleterious effects of commonly abused substances. In the second session, actual human organs are brought into the classrooms. Children compare and contrast healthy and pathological specimens to understand the damage caused by drug use. In the past two years over 1000 children have participated in this program and the results of our research have indicated that the program has been effective in teaching about normal internal organ function and the deleterious effects of commonly abused substances. The means of the pre-test scores were significantly lower than the means of the post-test scores (5.21 and 7.10 respectively, p <0.001 for both). 90% of the classroom teachers surveyed believed that the teaching methods and the use of the inter-professional teaching teams used were extremely effective.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant (learner) will be able to

• Describe a model for an integrated, coordinated, and effective collaboration.
• Identify methods to impact the knowledge and attitudes of children and adolescents toward tobacco, alchohol, and other drugs.
• Recognize the expertise students from different health professions can contribute in order to create a more dynamic substance abuse prevention program.

Keywords: Substance Abuse Prevention, School Health Educators

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.