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Background: According to the 2016 Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey, drug use and attitudes among American 8th, 10th, and 12th graders is encouraging, with past-year use of illicit drugs other than marijuana continuing to decline to the lowest level in the history of the survey in all three grades. However, of note is a general decline in the perceived risk of harm of many substances. High school seniors (68.9%) do not view marijuana smoking as harmful. Teens are also more likely to use e-cigarettes than cigarettes, and 62.8% of the 12th graders surveyed thought only flavoring was in the mist of e-cigarettes. These misperceptions illustrate the need for continued drug use prevention efforts.
Program background: For years, NIDA connected with students, presenting facts about substance use through their Drug Facts Chat Day. Students submit questions to NIDA scientists for a real-time response. Given the success of this activity, NIDA launched National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® (NDAFW) as a National Observance. Hosted annually in January, NDAFW mobilizes communities in all 50 states and 14 other countries to host educational events and communication campaigns to educate youth and youth influencers about the scientific facts on drug use and addiction. Key stakeholder outreach, email marketing, traditional and digital media outreach, and social media promotions are critical aspects of the expanded marketing effort–from an online health observance listing to an interactive week of activities. National partners (and state and local substance use agencies) are integral to the success of NDAFW across the nation.
Evaluation Methods and Results: In addition to monitoring substance use trends through Monitoring the Future and other key national surveys, the outcome of NDAFW as an awareness-building event is measured via a thorough process evaluation and longitudinal data tracking and analysis to measure reach over time. In 2017, there were 2,174 registered events worldwide, up from 2,029 in 2016. A greater number of repeat event holders participated (37%) and 15,446 assets were downloaded from the NDAFW website, an increase of 491%. 60% of top 10 states with highest number of events were also among the top 10 states with highest number of publications ordered. Website impressions and page views also increased 14% and 18% respectively. NDAFW generated 42 million Twitter impressions, up from 33 million in 2016. More than 22,000 individuals engaged with email marketing efforts and 58 schools across the country participated in Drug Facts Chat Day.
Conclusions: As more health observances crowd the field and compete for the attention of target audiences, and as awareness of NDAFW is potentially saturated, identifying ways to increase engagement and mobilize communities represents the next frontier. Increased awareness can be achieved by identifying high impact states, building new tools (e.g., Drug Facts Bingo game), and promoting them through strategic, actionable communications. Creatively linking youth, youth influencers, and educators to NIDA’s resources are key to future success.
Implications for research and/or practice: Successfully launching and implementing a national health observance or event necessitates a commitment to partnership building, timing, and resources. Generating a list of engaged subscribers and feeding that network with continued, supportive communications is key to ensuring participation.