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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Rebecca S. Spicer, PhD, MPH and Ted Miller, PhD. Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 11710 Beltsville Drive, Suite 300, Calverton, MD 20705, 301-755-2732, spicer@pire.org

A growing base of research finds that people under age 25 who work full- or part-time report higher rates of alcohol and drug use compared their non-working peers. Among the U.S. workforce, young adults ages 16-24 have the highest rates of reported alcohol and drug abuse. To address this problem in one large transportation company, in collaboration with the existing substance abuse prevention and early intervention (SAPEI) program, we adapted and will implement the US Navy's PREVENT model and curriculum. The Navy PREVENT is a 3-day facilitated program that applies a stages-of-change approach to motivate young recruits to modify drug and alcohol abuse and five other behaviors (interpersonal responsibility/values, sex behaviors, personal finances, stress, and physical fitness/nutrition). An enhancement of the intervention at the transportation company will involve using the corps of older peer volunteers in the existing SAPEI program as a peer-to-peer resource. This presentation will describe the curriculum adaptation, implementation experience, a pilot evaluation, and lessons learned. Of particular interest is the implementation process and intervention effectiveness in a non-Navy environment. At this time the curriculum has been adapted to the transportation workforce and includes company-specific values, policies, and culture. The Navy PREVENT curriculum was shortened from 3 to 2 days by excluding the sections on sexual harassment, violence, and physical fitness and nutrition based on needs assessed by the company. The pilot program will be implemented this spring (2006).

Learning Objectives: At the end of the session participants will be able to

• Describe the Navy PREVENT program.
• Describe the company-specific adaptations to the curriculum.
• Describe lessons learned in adapting and implementing the curriculum.

Keywords: Youth at Work, Substance Abuse Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered