Prescription for Discharge: A Prescription drug abuse prevention program for the U.S. Navy

Issue: Prescription drug abuse prevention is recognized by both the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a national priority. Although the U.S. Navy's zero tolerance policy on drugs has resulted in an overall decline in illegal drug abuse by Sailors over the past decade, prescription drug abuse is on the rise. Amphetamine positives have increased 34 percent and oxycodone positives by 23 percent over the past three years.

Description: The U.S. Navy’s “Prescription for Discharge” campaign was designed to address this rising prevalence of prescription drug abuse by applying the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Health Communication model. Through interactive design and delivery methodologies, the campaign has successfully built awareness in its target audience -- 18- to 24-year-old Sailors.  

Lessons Learned: Focus group feedback enabled campaign designers to choose more effective (audience-friendly) messaging and delivery methods. Specific campaign tactics included a “test your knowledge” quiz; the placement of permanent drug drop-off boxes at 11 sites; social media engagement; community events and online public service announcements (PSA). These adjustments resulted in 22 national articles; 470 social media engagement actions; 3 grassroot events; 1,283 campaign material downloads; 4,157 webpage views and 10,800+ Flickr album views to date (February 2015).

Recommendations: Community-based formative research can successfully enhance the creation of health interventions targeting 18 - 24 year-olds. Future public health campaigns targeting the issue of prescription drug abuse can also integrate perspectives from the medical and/or pharmaceutical communities.