Preventing underage drinking through a community outreach pilot program

Underage drinking among adolescents is a national public health concern. An estimated 10 million people aged 12 to 20 in the United States drank alcohol in the past month (NSDUH, 2011). In response to this issue, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse and Prevention is developing an Underage Drinking Prevention National Media Campaign (“the Campaign”). Acknowledging that parents are the greatest influence on children, SAMHSA commissioned the Campaign to engage parents and caregivers of children ages 9 to 15 in the promotion of behavioral health and the prevention of underage drinking.

SAMHSA developed a Community Outreach Pilot Program to test and refine creative materials and achieve the Campaign's national objectives at the community level. A request for proposals resulted in 83 submissions from Community-Based Organizations across the country. Five pilot sites representing each of the National Prevention Network regions were awarded a sub-contract from March to July 2012 to implement and evaluate their proposed Campaign approach and materials.

This presentation will focus on the outcomes of the pilot sites' participatory research efforts, with a focus on partnership development and using formative research to tailor the Campaign materials. The pilot sites will employ evidence-based health education efforts and engage in outreach across their communities. They will assess the feasibility of the Campaign to generate positive changes in parents' attitudes and self-efficacy to engage in underage drinking prevention behaviors. Ultimately, the results of this community-based research approach will inform the overall Campaign strategy.