Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Kathleen Herr-Zaya, BSN, MS, PhD¹, Stefano Keel, LICSW, MMHS¹, Margaret Giovannetti, BA¹, Rodrigo Monterrey, BA¹, Michelle Jimenez, MBA², Juan Mandelbaum, MA², Gary Lever, MS, MEd³, and Stephanie Doyle, BA¹. (1) Bureau of Substance Abuse Services, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 250 Washington Street, Third Floor, Boston, MA 02108, 617-624-5143, kathleen.herr-zaya@state.ma.us, (2) Geovision, Inc., 75 North Beacon Street, Watertown, MA 02472-2611, (3) Information and Referral Services, The Medical Foundation, 95 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116

Patients with severe pain have a right to the most effective medication. However, while substance abuse among youth is generally declining, prescription drug abuse is rising dramatically. In response to this, the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services, contracting with the social marketing firm Geovision, launched a campaign to prevent OxyContin and other prescription drug misuse among Massachusetts teens. The campaign consisted of radio and transit ads, detailed the risks of misuse, and promoted available prevention and treatment resources. Our approach involved getting input from discussion groups with diverse youths to determine what messages would be most effective in reaching them. A literature review on prevention of opioid abuse was also conducted. Ad ideas were then reviewed with youth of the target audience (14- to 18-year-olds) and younger youth, to test for effectiveness and unintended consequences. The ads featured teens recovering from OxyContin addiction telling how this “drug” affected their lives, families, friendships, and even freedom. One radio spot featured the mother of one teen, reinforcing the effects addiction has on loved ones. Real stories delivered the message at a personal level, generating a powerful emotional response from youth because of their authenticity. A brochure was also developed for distribution through email, a statewide clearinghouse, and our 24-hour Helpline. Helpline staff was trained to respond to questions and requests. Detailed summaries of the nature of the calls will be presented at APHA. Early results showed that OxyContin-related calls, for prevention and/or treatment, almost tripled after the campaign launched.

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

• Describe current national trends of OxyContin and other prescription drug abuse among youth.
• Identify essential steps in the development of an evidence-based social marketing campaign using multiple media.
• Utilize and adapt newly acquired knowledge to fit the needs and goals of the participant's organization.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No