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

Abstract #111762

Sharon P. Brown, PhD(c), MN, MPH, Environmental Health Sciences & Policy - Public Health & Epidemiology, University of California-Irvine, School of Social Ecology, Irvine, CA 92697, 724-940-9325, spbrown@uci.edu

Successful tobacco & other substance use prevention programs have incorporated comprehensive plans; but few have involved evidence- & community-based models. This session, based on research findings from a longitudinal study of both elementary & middle school students' perceptions of health risks associated with substance use (N=775), will discuss students' levels of self-efficacy to avoid such health risk behaviors. Of major interest was a measure of the child's resiliency to use these substances - individual social capital. Within both individual and community contexts, such as the child's perceptions of parental, school, & community support, as well as the community health indicator levels, the social capital will be presented as a major factor to assess in predicting the success of prevention programs with a comprehensive, community focus. Results of a sub-group of parents who identified their own tobacco use patterns will also be presented, to further document the need for inclusion of parents in any comprehensive plan. Logistic regression will be utilized to provide ORs of both the child's intent to use substances, and/or actual substance use based on the social capital, and overall resiliency measures, as well as parental use pattern influences. Hierarchical linear modeling will also be used in an effort to further detail the influences of individual and community contextual factors in the prevention of substance use. From these results, suggestions will be made regarding ways that both schools and community groups can incorporate these evidence-based measures to develop comprehensive substance abuse programs in their local communities.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to measure a child's level of social capital within individual and community contexts;
• Identify different environmental levels of influence in a child's capacity to avoid harmful substance use; and,
• Suggest ways that both schools and community groups can incorporate these measures to develop comprehensive substance abuse programs.

Keywords: Community-Based Health Promotion, Children and Adolescents

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