Developing a Research-Based National Media Campaign to Prevent Underage Drinking

Background: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) has been directed by Congress to conduct a National Underage Drinking Prevention Media Campaign (the “Campaign”) that targets parents of children ages 9 to 15. 

Program background: An estimated 10 million people under the age of 21 in the United States drank alcohol in the past month (NSDUH, 2011). The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) is developing an Underage Drinking Prevention National Media Campaign (“the Campaign”) focused on the parents of 9-15 year olds to combat this issue. The Campaign draws on social marketing and health education behavior theories, brain research and the findings of the 2009 Institute of Medicine report.

Evaluation Methods and Results: The Campaign team conducted a series of nationwide focus groups – both telephone and in-person – to explore attitudes, concerns, social and cultural context, influences on parenting behavior, and language used to discuss underage drinking. The focus groups revealed nuanced understanding of parents’ beliefs, including why parents are less concerned about underage drinking than other risky behaviors, why they do not take actions that are known to help prevent underage drinking, and why they are skeptical of prevalence data.  SAMHSA also conducted one-on-one interviews with children as well as in-depth interviews with stakeholders from the prevention arena and representatives from the alcohol industry.   This formative research influenced the development of the Campaign’s public service advertisements (PSAs) that will be introduced at the national launch currently planned for fall 2012. These PSAs include 30 and 60 second television spots, a radio spot in English and Spanish, and a print advertisement in a variety of sizes, also in English and Spanish. A first-ever preview of some of the PSAs will be shown during the session. Before launch, a pilot site program will test these PSAs and Campaign messages in five sites around the country. Pilot sites are required to report on the effectiveness of Campaign materials and how they used them at local events and in outreach to their communities. Message copy testing and an evaluation of the Campaign pilot site program’s use of creative materials will further inform the development of the Campaign prior to launch in fall of 2012.

Conclusions: The Campaign seeks to engage parents in the promotion of mental, emotional, and behavioral health and the prevention of underage drinking. Campaign goals include encouraging parents and other caregivers to engage in frequent, specific prevention behaviors.  Objectives include increasing parents’ and caregivers’ awareness of the prevalence and the risks of underage drinking; knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy regarding prevention behaviors; and frequent prevention actions. Formative research to increase awareness of prevention approaches and influence a cultural shift among parents serves as the foundation for the national media campaign.

Implications for research and/or practice: The session will present the findings of each component of the research and share best practices for launching a national media campaign based on prevention and health and behavior change theories.