The program materials were successfully field-tested in New Castle County, Del., Miami, Fla., Noble County, Ind., Newaygo County, Mich., Cincinnati, Ohio, Portland, Ore., Pittsburgh, Pa., Nashville, Tenn., and San Antonio, Texas before being launched nationally. National partner organizations are now taking the program nationwide by urging their memberships to promote use of the materials across the country.
"Too Smart to Start" provides research-based strategies and materials to community groups with the objective of enhancing communication between parents and children about the harm of underage alcohol use. Materials target both the parent's views about underage drinking and those of the child, with information on alcohol use behaviors of 9-13 year-olds and strategies to deliver behavioral messages.
"SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows approximately 11.6 percent of 12 year olds report using alcohol at least once in their lifetime. That percentage more than doubles by age 13 and by age 15, it is over 50 percent," SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie pointed out. "We have to reach out to 9-13 year olds now, before they drink, and provide health messages that will resonate with them, and with their parents.
SAMHSA's data show that over 2.6 million adolescents 12-17 were binging on alcohol in 2002 and 630,000 were already heavy drinkers. "Parents must understand that yes, it can be their kids," Curie said, "and that children who use alcohol early in life are at greater risk of having alcohol problems as adults."
The new national program will be distributed through SAMHSA's partner organizations, including the American Medical Association, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, PRIDE Youth Programs, the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors/National Prevention Network, the National Family Partnership and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. Funding for the program comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The hallmark of the Too Smart to Start Program is its flexibility in the way it can be implemented in local communities.
A Too Smart To Start Community Action Kit for prevention professionals and volunteers who want to change their community's tolerance for underage drinking is available by calling 1-800-729-6686. The kit includes an implementation guide, a menu of research-based strategies and materials, publications, posters, and print and broadcast PSAs. Free technical assistance is also available.
SAMHSA is also sponsoring the Reach Out Now National Teach-In Week, April 26-30. This is based on a partnership among Scholastic Magazine, SAMHSA and the Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, which provides school-based underage drinking prevention materials to every fifth grade classroom nationwide. The Leadership, composed of interested first ladies of states, is scheduling first ladies and other prominent individuals to conduct teach-ins in states around the country. The Reach Out Now materials are designed as a two-part set to be used in classrooms and at home to educate about the dangers of underage alcohol use and help children build the skills they need to reject underage drinking.
