Preventing Underage Drinking
Underage drinking and the constellation of risks that result are
a top concern for parents, schools, and communities. What works
to prevent it? Various EDC projects are exploring advances in three
key realms: policy, education, and changes in the school and community
environment.
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TOUR EDC'S ONLINE
RESOURCES
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Alcohol Policy
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Building on its longstanding commitment to reducing alcohol-related
risks to young people, EDC’s
Health
and Human Development hosted an
international conference on alcohol policy in March.
Over 300 researchers, advocates, health
professionals, and civic leaders from around the country
and abroad convened for Alcohol Policy 13, Prevention
of Youth Alcohol Problems: Policy Approaches (AP13). 
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Curriculum
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Adolescents face hard decisions and conflicting expectations
as they move through their teenage years. A new curriculum
teaches basic life skills to help young people make positive
connections and healthy decisions about such issues as alcohol,
sex, and violence. Building Foundations:
Developing Skills for Life is the new module in the nationally recognized
Teenage
Health Teaching Modules Series (THTM). It applies research
on academic success, resiliency, and asset building to a
practical, interactive approach.
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College Initiatives
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EDC’s Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other
Drug Prevention is one of the nation’s primary resources
for colleges and communities as they develop, implement,
and evaluate initiatives to reduce student alcohol use, drug
use and violence. The Center offers publications, training,
and assistance.
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Perceptions vs. Reality
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The Social Norms Marketing Research Project is a five-year
national research study to evaluate the effectiveness of “social
norms” marketing in reducing high-risk drinking among
college students. Social norms marketing aims to correct
students’ overestimation of the level of drinking among
their peers. Thirty-two institutions of higher education
are involved. The findings will advance the state-of-the-art
in higher education alcohol prevention programming.
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Effective Strategies
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The Northeast Center for the Application of Prevention
Technologies (CAPT) advances the application of “science-based” substance
abuse prevention programs. CAPT works with regional, state,
and local professionals, cultivating collaboration among
all levels.
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Life Skills Approach
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A key approach to preventing alcohol use among young people
is the teaching of such “life skills” as decision
making and communication. On behalf of the Pan-American Health
Organization (PAHO), EDC, with experts in Latin America and
the Caribbean, authored the Life Skills
Approach to Child and Adolescent Healthy Human Development.
The document discusses
the theory behind skills-based health education, evidence
for its effectiveness, case studies,
and lessons learned. |
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