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

Abstract #108470

W. Mary Langley¹, Roland Bernard Welmaker, PhD¹, and Della Pitts, BS². (1) HPRC-CH/PM, Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Drive, Atlanta, GA 30310, 404-752-1503, mlangley@msm.edu, (2) Community Health and Preventive Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Drive, Atlanta, GA 30310

The Health Promotion Resource Center in the Department of Community Health/Preventive Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine was contracted by the Georgia Department of Human Resources' Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Addictive Diseases to do a multi-year evaluation of the Student Transition and Recovery (STAR) Program in Crisp County, a small rural county along Interstate 75, a major drug trafficking route from Florida to Canada. The STAR Program is a disciplinary program used by schools and juvenile courts for selected at-risk students providing in-school suspensions (instead of out-of-school suspensions or expulsions), boot camp, and youth development activities for the academic and disciplinary betterment of students in sixth through eighth grades in Crisp County Georgia.

Faced with multifaceted problems (i.e., disrespect, defiance, violence, low academic achievement, alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD)experimentation, and excessive absenteeism), the STAR Program developed a comprehensive approach to instill a sense of purpose and direction among the identified students. Program results over a six year evaluation period indicated that STAR has managed to effect significant reductions in ATOD use and other risky behaviors, as well as increases in students' attendance and grades.

Learning Objectives:

• To increase understanding of the importance of an early and comprehensive approach to meeting the challenges of reducing alcohol, tobacco and other drug (ATOD) use and other at risk behaviors among youth in rural communities.

Keywords: Adolescents, Alcohol Use

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.