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I am interested in
implementing a program that uses communications as a evidence-based prevention
strategy. Which effective programs use this strategy?
The following is a selected list of programs that use communications as
a major component:
- Athletes Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids (ATLAS) Project
The ATLAS Project is a multi-component school-based, substance abuse
prevention program for male high school athletes (13 to 19 years old).
The classroom sessions involve role-playing, student-created campaigns,
and educational games that teach students, among other lessons, how
to debunk media images that promote substance abuse. The effectiveness
of this strategy is reflected in a program evaluation study, which indicated
that the program reduced substance abuse risk factors including less
belief in media advertisement among participants. (CSAP has rated
this program as Model).
Contact Information: Division of Health Promotion and Sports Medicine
at Oregon Health Sciences University; phone: (503) 494-6559; website:
http://www.ohsu.edu/hpsm/atlas.html
- Project STAR: Students Taught Awareness and Resistance (also known
as the Midwestern Prevention Project (MPP))
Project STAR is a drug-abuse prevention program that reaches the entire
community with a comprehensive school program, mass media efforts, parent
program, community organization, and health policy change. The mass
media component-consisting of approximately 31 television, radio, and
print broadcasts per year-promotes, reinforces and helps maintaining
the project. This component is implemented throughout the five-year
program. (CSAP has rated this program as Model).
Contact Information: Department of Preventive Medicine at University
of Southern California; phone: (323) 865-0325; website: http://modelprograms.samhsa.gov
- Project Towards No Tobacco Use (TNT)
TNT is a school-based program designed to delay the initiation and reduce
the use of tobacco by middle school children. The program aims to help
young children resist using tobacco products by becoming aware of misleading
social information, developing skills that counteract social pressure
to use tobacco and learn about the physical consequences of tobacco
use, such as addiction. The program's activities include helping students
identify how the media and advertisers influence teens to use tobacco
products. (CSAP has rated this program as Model).
Contact Information: Steve Sussman; phone: (323) 442-2594; website:
http://modelprograms.samhsa.gov
- Challenging College Alcohol Abuse
Challenging College Alcohol Abuse uses social norms and environmental
management strategies to prevent alcohol abuse among college-aged students.
The Social Norms Media Marketing Campaign is the primary component of
the program. It targets students, resident advisors (RAs), parents,
stakeholders, and others who may be reading school newspapers or are
involved in other school-related activities or media. (CSAP has rated
this program as Model).
Contact Information: University of Arizona; phone: (520) 571-7849; wesbite:
http://modelprograms.samhsa.gov/
Mpowerment
Mpowerment is a community-building program designed to reduce the frequency
of unprotected anal intercourse among young gay and bisexual men. It was
developed through an intensive social marketing process with young gay
men and is based on an empowerment model in which young gay men take charge
of the project. Intervention (CSAP has rated this program as Model).
Contact Information: Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at University
of California; phone: (415) 597-9306; website: http://www.mpowerment.org
Other effective programs that use communications as one of their strategies
includes:
For more information on these and other effective programs, visit the
Northeast CAPT's Database of Prevention Programs (http://www.hhd.org/capt/default.asp).
Please contact the Northeast CAPT at capt@edc.org for more information.
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