CASA Columbia Releases 2011 Teen Survey: National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVI: Teens and Parents

This week, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University released the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVI: Teens and Parents. This year’s survey reveals that teens who regularly use social networking sites are at increased risk of smoking, drinking and using drugs. The survey finds that compared to teens who in a typical day do not spend any time on a social networking site, those who do are five times likelier to use tobacco, three times likelier to use alcohol, and twice as likely to use marijuana.

The CASA Columbia survey also reveals that 40 percent of all teens surveyed have seen pictures on Facebook, Myspace or other social networking sites of kids getting drunk, passed out, or using drugs and kids who have seen such pictures at also at increased substance abuse risk.

This year’s survey explored teen TV viewing habits in relation to teen substance abuse and found that compared to teens that do not watch suggestive teen programming, those who do are likelier to smoke, drink and use drugs.

According to Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA Columbia’s Founder and Chairman and Former U.S. Secretary for Health, Education, and Welfare: “The relationship of social networking site images of kids drunk, passed out, or using drugs and of suggestive teen programming to increased teen risk of substance abuse offers grotesque confirmation of the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. The time has come for those who operate and profit from social networking sites like Facebook to deploy their technological expertise to curb such images and to deny use of their sites to children and teens who post pictures of themselves and their friends drunk, passed out or using drugs. Continuing to provide the electronic vehicle for transmitting such images constitutes electronic child abuse.”

CADCA Responds to National Poll Showing Drug Abuse Ties Childhood Obesity as Top Health Concern

This week, the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital released the results of its 5th annual national poll, in which Americans rated drug abuse and childhood obesity as the top health concerns for our nation’s youth.

“With drug use increasing by 9 percent in one year, it’s only natural that Americans are now waking up to the fact that this is a major public health concern that requires our immediate attention. We’ve always believed that substance abuse can and does have a major impact on children and youth, but this new survey confirms that it’s now on the radar screen of average Americans, said CADCA Chairman and CEO, Gen. Arthur T. Dean, in a media statement.

“This shift in perception is consistent with the findings of various national surveys showing a rise in overall drug use among those 12 and older, and in marijuana use among 12- to 17-year-olds. I hope this sends a message to our nation’s lawmakers that preventing and reducing drug abuse must continue to be a top national priority.”

The poll asked adults to rate 23 different health concerns for kids in our communities, ranging from drug abuse, alcohol abuse and smoking to bullying, internet safety and teen pregnancy. One-third of adults (33 percent) rated drug abuse as “a big problem” for kids, making it the number one health concern along with childhood obesity.

Among the other concerns that ranked in the top ten were smoking and tobacco use (25 percent), teen pregnancy (24 percent) and alcohol abuse (20 percent).

Mid-Year Session Will Consider Social Norms Campaigns for Coalitions

Everyone else is doing it.” At least that is what many youth and young adults believe when they engage in risky behaviors including substance abuse practices, particularly when they live in college communities.

Current research is mixed on the effectiveness of applying marketing practices to social norms campaigns in collegiate environments, and practically no research has been conducted on the efficacy of social norms marketing among middle school and high school students. CADCA, through a course offered by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), helps demystify the research surrounding these interventions and how they fit into a comprehensive set of population-level change strategies in “Community/College Interventions to Reduce Alcohol Misuse” on Thursday, July 28 from 9 a.m. to noon at CADCA’s 2011 Mid-Year Training Institute, July 24-28 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Anaheim, Calif.

Social norms represent people’s attitudes and expectations toward certain behaviors and activities with the context of a specific social environment. According to Bill DeJong Ph.D., professor at Boston University’s School of Public Health and co-trainer for “Community/College Interventions to Reduce Alcohol Misuse,” college students tend to overestimate the use of alcohol among their peers, leaving many unaware of the gap between the actual drinking norms and perceived drinking norms of their community.

Because of this disparity, some research suggests that social norms marketing campaigns and normative feedback interventions can help correct this misperception to reduce dangerous habits among college students by using strong survey data to identify clear patterns of healthy behavioral norms.

“Many young people enter college believing that the vast majority of students drinks heavily,” DeJong said. “The perceptions we carry around about what others do can serve as major drivers of our decisions. Fact-based, social norms interventions can provide students with accurate norms data to help reduce alcohol use and promote safe behaviors among students.”

DeJong believes social norms marketing can be helpful in supporting environmental policy change and that the two approaches must operate together to have a significant impact. He says that the actual number of students that support policy changes is often much higher than most students perceive the number to be, particularly in relation to stricter enforcement of policies around alcohol-related violence. The pairing of multiple strategies provides a comprehensive approach for community-level change.

“Using social norms strategies to make people aware of the fact that the majority does engage in healthy and responsible behavior can set the stage for environmental strategies, especially if we collect data about student support for policy change and other programs,” DeJong said. “Environmental strategies are also a way for the community to declare its expectations.”

While research remains limited outside of higher education institutions, DeJong also believes social norms successes hold positive implications for non-collegiate communities and younger target audiences by using data to get out the message that most young people are making healthy choices. He also indicates that social norms do not need to be narrowly applied to youth, but also parents and other influential community members whose behaviors affect the culture of a community.

“For example, parents may think that, while they wouldn't mind getting a call from a parent whose child has been invited to a party at their home to check on whether adults are monitoring the party, other parents would mind receiving such a call, and therefore they don't check,” DeJong said. “A social norms campaign could be used to correct that misperception and thereby contribute to creating a safer social environment for youth.”

CADCA’s Mid-Year Training Institute is the only intensive, coalition-specific training opportunity of its kind, providing in-depth courses specifically designed to address a community leader’s biggest concerns and obstacles. “CADCA + Coalitions = Formula for Community Change,” the theme of CADCA’s 2011 Mid-Year Training Institute, provides an opportunity for you to attend a variety of lecture and “lab” sessions to expand your knowledge in prevention science and improve your skills in implementing evidence-based strategies. These in-depth courses are relevant for established as well as emerging coalitions. Half-day to two-day courses have been planned.