Important environmental influences include the legal, economic and physical availability of alcohol, and cultural norms around use. Social influences for alcohol use among adolescents include low socioeconomic status (SES) and education of parents, family disruption and conflict, weak family bonds, low parental supervision, parents' permissiveness and lack of rules about alcohol use, alcohol use by adults, family history of alcoholism, peer alcohol use, perceived adult approval of use, and perceived peer approval of use. Social, environmental and intrapersonal factors have consistently been found to be associated with alcohol use among adolescents ( Hawkins et al., 1992 Epstein et al., 1995 Kumpfer and Alvarado, 1995 Newcomb, 1995 Komro et al., 1997 Kosterman et al., 2000).
According to the theory of triadic influence ( Flay and Petraitis, 1994) and a conceptual model for adolescent health promotion (Perry and Jessor, 1985), behaviors are a function of a person's current social situation, cultural environment and personal characteristics. Predictors can be identified by etiologic research and behavioral theories. The successful development of effective programs to prevent alcohol use among adolescents depends on identifying the predictors of use, since these predictors become the targets of the intervention ( Perry, 1999). Alcohol use among teens is clearly linked with the major causes of injury and death in this age group ( Drug Strategies, 1999). Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for adolescents, with one-third to one-half of those crashes involving alcohol ( National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1990). There is a strong relationship between alcohol use among youth and many social, emotional, behavioral and legal problems, including the use of illicit drugs, fighting, stealing, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, skipping school, feeling depressed, and deliberately trying to hurt or kill themselves, according to a recently published report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( Greenblatt, 2000). These rates are particularly alarming as they are among young people who are not at a legal age to drink alcohol in the US. In 1999, among grade 12 students surveyed in the nationally representative sample of the Monitoring the Future study, 80% reported having drank alcohol in their lifetime, 62% reported having been drunk in their lifetime, 51% reported drinking in the past month, 33% reported having been drunk in the past month and 31% reported having drank five or more drinks in a row in the last 2 weeks ( Johnston et al., 2000). Regardless of race, ethnicity, urbanicity or gender, alcohol is the most widely used drug by youth ( Johnston et al., 2000). Developmentally appropriate, multi-component, community-wide programs throughout adolescence appear to be needed to reduce alcohol use. There was no impact in Phase 2 on other student-level behavioral and psychosocial factors. The intervention used with the high school students as those in grades 11 and 12 made a positive impact on their tendency to use alcohol use, binge drinking and ability to obtain alcohol. The lack of intervention in the Interim Phase when the students were in grades 9 and 10 had a significant and negative impact on alcohol use. Project Northland was most successful when the students were young adolescents. Growth curve analysis was used to examine the student survey data over time. Outcomes of these interventions were assessed by annual student surveys from 1991 to 1998, alcohol purchase attempts by young-looking buyers in 1991, 19, and parent telephone surveys in 19. Phase 2 (1996–1998), when the cohort was in grades 11 and 12, included a classroom curriculum, parent education, print media, youth development and community organizing. The Interim Phase (1994–1996) involved minimal intervention. Phase 1 (1991–1994), when the targeted cohort was in grades 6–8, included school curricula, parent involvement, peer leadership and community task forces.
#Cultures northland creating merchant trial
Project Northland was a randomized trial to reduce alcohol use among adolescents in 24 school districts in northeastern Minnesota.
0 kommentar(er)
