NCJ Number
197935
Date Published
November 2002
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This is the executive summary of the evaluation report that covers the current phase (Phase III) of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign (September 1999 through June 2002), which is designed to reduce and prevent drug use among youth.
Abstract
The campaign is designed to address youth directly as well as indirectly, which includes encouraging parents and other adults to take actions known to prevent youth drug use. The major intervention components include television, radio, and other advertising, complemented by public relations efforts that focus on community outreach and institutional partnerships. The campaign has progressed through three phases of increasing complexity and intensity. Phase III, upon which this report focuses, began in September 1999 and is scheduled to run at least through spring 2003. The primary tool for this evaluation was the National Survey of Parents and Youth, which is collecting initial and follow-up data from nationally representative samples of youth between 9 and 18 years old, as well as parents of these youth. This evaluation encompasses the first five waves of the survey (September 1999 through June 2002). The survey found that most parents and youth recalled exposure to campaign antidrug messages, and there continues to be evidence consistent with a favorable campaign effect on parents. There was little evidence of direct favorable campaign effects on youth, and there continues to be evidence of an unfavorable delayed effect of campaign exposure from the period September 1999 through June 2001 regarding subsequent intentions to use marijuana; other beliefs that could promote drug use were involved as well. 11 tables, 3 figures, and 1 reference