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

Abstract #107401

Chris Williams, PhD¹, Jessica Samuolis, PhD¹, Araxi P. Macaulay, EdD, MPH², and Sharla Aiken, MSW¹. (1) National Health Promotion Associates, Inc, 711 Westchester Avenue, White Plains, NY 10604, 914-421-2525, spanse@nhpanet.com, (2) National Health Promotion Associates, Inc., 711 Westchester Avenue, White Plains, NY 10604

Prevention programs for youth transitioning into the workplace represent an important opportunity because few effective, theory-based interventions have been developed and tested. The purpose of this study was to determine the overall usefulness, appropriateness, and cultural relevancy of a newly developed Workplace Wellness Program (WWP) which reduces drug and high risk-taking behavior and improves job performance in young adults.

The Workplace Wellness Program materials were focus group tested in three Price Chopper Supermarkets. Supermarket employees between the ages of 16-24 were randomly selected to preview the WWP. The overall purpose of the employee focus groups was to ascertain the extent to which they viewed the WWP materials easy to use, engaging, flexible, appealing, comprehensible, and feasible with respect to their needs and time constraints in the workplace. Finally, focus group participants were asked to make recommendations concerning how the wellness training intervention technology might be further refined.

Qualitative data were examined to 1) determine the overall acceptability of the WWP and 2) determine the generalizibility of the WWP by gender, race and other demographic variables.

Taken together, this focus group study will provide a methodologically qualitative assessment of the workplace drug abuse prevention and wellness materials. The resulting product will be distinguished both by the quality and attractiveness of the materials and the strength of the evaluation data upon which it rests. This should, therefore, lead to the development of drug abuse prevention materials for companies that are effective, high in quality and appealing to employees.

Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to
• identify the need for drug prevention and wellness programs for the target young adult in transitions population
• assess the acceptability of a Workplace Wellness Program which decreases drug and high risk taking behavior and
• understand the importance of cultural relevancy in program materials.

Keywords: Worksite, Substance Abuse Prevention

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.