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Professional Resources

"Who Can Help Me?"

Adolescent Prevention Programs

 

Youth Access to Tobacco Study

The annual Youth Access to Tobacco Study monitors the state's compliance with the SYNAR Regulation of the federal Public Health Service Act of 1993. The SYNAR Regulation is a federal mandate that requires each state to document a rate of tobacco sales to minors of no more than 20 percent. States that fail to meet this requirement risk losing millions of dollars in federal funds for alcohol and other drug abuse prevention and treatment services. In 1994, the first year the study was conducted, 63.2 percent of the state's underage youth were sold cigarettes as part of the study.

Conducted with the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS), the study determines whether or not youth aged 15 to 17 are able to purchase cigarettes. Approximately 500 purchase attempts are made throughout the state.

In 2007 in South Carolina, only 12.4% of the state's youth ages 15 to 17 were successful in their attempts to purchase cigarettes, the lowest rate documented since South Carolina began conducting the survey in 1994. In Richland County, 18% of youth were successful, up from the previous year's rate of 6.43%. Lexington County's rate for 2007 was 0%, down from 2006's rate of 6%.

South Carolina youth typically begin experimenting with smokeless or "spit" tobacco around age 11 and with cigarettes around age 12. Research shows that underage smokers are much more likely than nonsmoking teens to use alcohol and other drugs. This group also is much more likely to perform poorly in school, to cut classes, to drop out of school by the 10th grade, and to become involved in crime.

Teen Institute/Technical Assistance

Selected prevention department staff members attend The Teen Institute (a weeklong experiential institute for high school students) and provide technical assistance for teams in area high schools and churches. Students conduct their own prevention planning and programming with LRADAC providing assistance as needed.

Social Norms Campaign

In the fall of 2002 LRADAC launched its first Social Norms campaign in the middle schools of Lexington/Richland School District Five.

Social norms are people's beliefs about the behavior that is expected of them in a particular situation. Often, people's perception of these norms will greatly influence their behavior. ("Everyone is doing it, therefore it is OK that I do it.")

But what if the reality is that most people are not doing it? It stands to reason that if we help people understand that most people are not doing it, then we can use those group dynamics to change individual behaviors. In fact, research shows that social norms campaigns can be a highly effective tool in changing perceptions, and ultimately behavior.

Social Norms campaigns were initially implemented on college campuses where they were very successful at reducing targeted behaviors through media campaigns to inform students of actual norms. In recent years social norms campaigns have been used with parents, educators, high school students, and middle school students with great success. One of the most well-known campaigns was conducted in 1998 in DeKalb County, Illinois where pre- to post-test surveys showed a 14% reduction in heavy episodic drinking, and a 30% reduction in 30-day prevalence of alcohol use after two years.

We started by doing a study at the middle schools in Lexington/Richland District Five and learned that students think alcohol usage among their friends and peers is four times greater than it actually is. The Community Roundtable of Irmo, Dutch Fork and Chapin helped to implement a social norms campaign to increase parents', students', and educators' accurate perceptions of the number of middle school students who do not drink alcohol.

This campaign uses a variety of media such as posters, promotional items, brochures, newsletters and newspaper ads to target middle school students, their parents, and educators.

In 2003, the Social Norms campaign was recently recognized by the Columbia Advertising Club with a Silver ADDY award and by the South Carolina Public Relations Society of America with two Silver Wing Awards and the Mercury Award for Best Public Service Campaign.

Like the Dekalb County, Illinois campaign mentioned above, the social norms campaign implemented in Lexington/Richland District Five middle schools indicated positive outcomes in its first two years including:

Funding for this project was provided by State Incentive Grant #UD1SP015-02 awarded to the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services through the Office of the Governor from the United States Center for Substance Abuse Prevention/Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (CSAP/SAMHSA).

Media Literacy

 

Since 2005, Media Literacy has been taught to all ninth grade students at the four high schools in the Lexington One school district.  LRADAC partnered with LOCC (Lexington One Community Coalition) to develop a systematic and straightforward approach to teaching Media Literacy through the Strategies for Success curriculum.   Students are taught to think critically when analyzing the powerful messages found in today’s media.  The concepts of target audience, product placement, emotional transfer, and principles of construction in advertising are illustrated through numerous examples of print and broadcast ads.  Particular emphasis is placed on decoding the dangerous and destructive messages promoted by the alcohol and tobacco industry.  Students actively participate in these sessions by viewing and discussing current magazine, internet, and television advertisements.  Each semester, students from the LOCC clubs, Strategies classes, and Broadcast Journalism classes have the opportunity to participate in our Anti-Drug Media Contest by creating their own original counter-ads. The winners are recognized during a LOCC community event and awarded prizes.  There were 54 student entries in our fall 2006 contest.

LRADAC has begun the initial “faculty implementation” of the Media Literacy program by providing training, lesson plans, PowerPoint presentation, resource lists, decoding questions, and print ads to faculty members.  This transition allows for sustainability of the program once the LOCC grant is complete.