Active Parenting of teens

Training for the most important job you’ll ever have! Seeking solutions?
Looking for answers when you don’t even have the questions?
Mary Immaculate Family Focus and Fort Eustis Army Community Service are pleased to sponsor an exciting research-based video and discussion workshop called Active Parenting of Teens. This program offers an effective and unique approach to improving parent-teen interaction. Parents will learn to communicate effectively, resolve conflicts and discuss such difficult topics as violence, drugs, alcohol and sex. The information and skills taught are designed to help you guide your children through the challenging teen years and develop responsible, cooperative teens who are better equipped to resist peer pressure.
Thursdays, September 23 to October 28 (6:30 pm – 8:30 pm)
Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital Health Resource Center
2 Bernardine Drive, Newport News, VA 23602
FREE!!

Kick Butts Day 2009

Are you interested in organizing a Kick Butts Day on March 25th. As you may know, this is a campaign created by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and helps to raise young adult's awareness about the dangers of smoking and second hand smoke.

If any of you have questions or if I can be of assistance please do let me know. If you all do decide to have some sort of event if you could let me know that would be fantastic.
Nicole Pugar, Nicole@vfhf.org

Kick Butts day resources - http://kickbuttsday.org/resources/downloads.php

Inhalant Abuse Prevention Conference

Virginia Inhalant Abuse Prevention Coalition invites you to their 2nd Annual conference.
Date: March 16, 2009
Time: 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
Where: Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel & Suites, 105 Visitor Center Dr., Williamsburg, VA 23185
Registration: $65.00 by March 10th
For more information and to register online: http://www.htsac.org/

The Art of driving - Program for Teens and Parents

The Art of driving is an educational awareness program for teen drivers and their parents.
The mission of The ART of Driving® is two-fold: First, to increase awareness among teens and parents of the unique risks faced by young drivers and to impress upon them the need for improved training, increased supervised time behind-the-wheel, and increased parental involvement; Second, to advocate for improvements in driver education for our youth.
For more information about the program, visit the Web site http://www.theartofdriving.org/ or contact Robin Thompson directly at 703-968-0975 or robin@artofdriving.net.

Reducing teen mortality rates

New Data Illuminate Risky Behaviors Leading to Youth Mortality
Seventy-two percent of deaths among 10- to 24-year-olds in the United States are a result of one of four causes -- and many high school students engage in behaviors that increase their risks. To read more go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5704a1.htm

Teens' Reasons for Drinking May Predict Future Problems with Alcohol

A study from researchers at Penn State has identified four major reasons why high school students drink, and has found that those who drink for multiple reasons -- including trying to cope with life's problems -- are at greatest risk for heavy and problem drinking behaviors. "It is important to know why high school seniors drink so parents, teachers and high school counselors can pay special attention to the needs of the small but high-risk group of seniors who offer multiple reasons for drinking and who also have anger or frustration issues," said Donna Coffman, post-doctoral fellow at Penn State's Prevention Research Center and the Methodology Center. The study can be found in the December issue of Prevention Science.
Read the full article at:http://live.psu.edu/story/27677

Teen Births Up for First Time in a Decade and a Half

The teen birth rate in the United States has been on the decline since a recent peak in 1991, but preliminary data for 2006 show a rise of 3 percent in teen births between 2005 and 2006. "It's way too early to know if this is the start of a new trend," said Stephanie Ventura, head of the Reproductive Statistics Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "But given the long-term progress we've witnessed, this change is notable." The findings, based on data from over 99 percent of all 2006 births in the United States, are featured in a new CDC National Center for Health Statistics report, "Births: Preliminary Data for 2006."
Read the full article at:http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/07newsreleases/teenbirth.htm

TEENS AND IMPAIRED DRIVING - Driving under the Influence Too Common among Teenagers

TEENS AND IMPAIRED DRIVING
Driving under the Influence Too Common among Teenagers

Drinking and driving among teenagers is a disturbingly common problem, says a new study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). According to Elias A. Zerhouni, NIH director, "This study shows that not only are too many teens putting themselves and others at risk by driving under the influence of drugs, but . . . there has been little improvement in the past six years." The study found that nearly a third of high school students had driven under the influence of alcohol or drugs -- or had been in the car with a driver who had -- in the previous two weeks.

Read the full article at:
http://www.drugabuse.gov/newsroom/07/NR10-29.html

TEEN SUBSTANCE ABUSE - Most Parents Can Accurately Assess Their Teens' Substance Use

TEEN SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Most Parents Can Accurately Assess Their Teens' Substance Use

Many teenagers may think they're getting away with drinking, smoking, or other drug use -- but a new study suggests that their parents might not be quite so in the dark about it. Findings from a novel study out of the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions show that most parents can accurately estimate their child's alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. According to lead researcher Neil B. McGillicuddy, Ph.D., "It seems that, despite a few exceptions, many parents do know the extent of their teenager's substance use. Parents can use this knowledge to help themselves cope with teenage substance use and the resulting stress on the family, as well as to begin conversations with their teen about making changes."
Read the full article at:
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/8919

Engaging Youth..On Their Turf: Creative Approaches to Connecting Youth through Community

Engaging Youth..On Their Turf: Creative Approaches to Connecting Youth through Community

The publication from the Healthy Teen Network offers professionals new approaches to engaging teens. It highlights six examples of programs that reach out to youth in non-traditional communities.

Save-the-Date:

The Future of the Hispanic Family (November 15, Washington, D.C.)
"For most Latinos, families are made and broken amid transformations in culture, economic footing, civic status, and identity," according to the Brookings Institution. Brookings' Center on Children and Families and the Annie E. Casey Foundation are hosting a forum to discuss trends in marriage and childbearing in the Hispanic community and address what actions policymakers and practitioners can take to strengthen Hispanic families and improve the well-being of children in these families.

Teens and Accessing Care

Under One Roof: Primary Care Models that Work for Adolescents This report looks at integrated health care models that tailor their services to teens' unique physical, behavioral and reproductive health care needs and focus on positive youth development. It examines three programs in different settings -- in a hospital, private practice and a qualified community health center -- and examines how each addressed the financing challenges to creating an integrated program.

From the CFK Archives: Not Their Parent's MD -- Why Teens Need a Doctor of Their OwnIn this CFK article, historian Heather Prescott argues that adolescent health care is a much-needed and often-overlooked field of health.

Upcoming TA Conference Call Hosted by AED

Upcoming TA Conference Call Hosted by AED

Promotion of Pre-teen Vaccines
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at 2:00 PM EST

Presenters:
Kari Sapsis, MPH, Health Communication Specialist, Office of Health Communication, NCIRD/CDC
Natalie Nakahara, MFA, Creative Director, Information and Education Section, California Department of Health Services Immunization Branch

Call Description: This TA call will provide an overview of pre-teen vaccine campaigns at the state and national levels. CDC is preparing to launch a national pre-teen vaccine campaign in August 2007 that will reach out to parents of 11 and 12 year olds as well as healthcare providers. In preparation for the campaign, CDC conducted extensive formative research and materials testing with these populations in four states. Kari Sapsis of the CDC will present the research results and an overview of the campaign activities and materials.
The state of California organized a Pre-teen Vaccine Week this past January, with pre-teens themselves as the primary target audience. Natalie Nakahara of the California Department of Health Services will discuss the campaign activities and results.
By the end of this TA call, participants will be able to:

1. Name the materials and activities that CDC is planning for its upcoming pre-teen vaccination campaign.
2. Describe parents' and providers' knowledge and attitudes about new pre-teen vaccines, based on CDC's formative research.
3. Describe activities conducted by the state of California for its Pre-teen Vaccine Week.

Registration: To register for this TA call, please email izta@aed.org, with the subject line “Sign me up for the Pre-teen Vaccine Call.”

Visit IZTA Online:

Website: http://www.izta.org/

Blog: izta.blogspot.com

Food and Beverage Companies Targeting Children and Teens with Digital Marketing Tactics

Click here for Rapid Response talking points.
A report released on Thursday, May 17, 2007 by Berkeley Media Studies Group and the Center for Digital Democracy revealed that food and beverage companies are using the latest digital media technologies to promote their products to children and adolescents.

The report, entitled “Interactive Food & Beverage Marketing: Targeting Children and Youth in the Digital Age,” documents in vivid detail how major food, soft drink and fast food brands are deploying a panoply of new techniques -- including cell phones, instant messaging, video games, user-generated video, and three-dimensional virtual worlds --to target children and adolescents, often under the radar of parents. The report also reveals a range of new digital strategies these marketers have devised for targeting multicultural youth, including African Americans and Hispanics.

Among the many digital marketing examples cited in the 98-page report are the following:
To “create a compelling way to connect with the younger demographic,” 600 McDonald’s restaurants in California launched a mobile marketing campaign, urging young cell phone users to text-message to a special phone number to receive an instant electronic coupon for a free McFlurry dessert.

Coca-Cola’s “My Coke Rewards” program offers special codes in its products that enable young people to access a website, where they can earn such rewards as downloadable ring tones and “amazing sports and entertainment experiences.”

“Digital technologies are fundamentally transforming how food and beverage companies do business with children and adolescents in the twenty-first century,” explained American University professor and report co-author Kathryn Montgomery, Ph.D. “We urge the Federal Trade Commission to include the full range of new media strategies identified in this report in its investigation of contemporary food marketing practices.”

As Rapid Responders, we urge you to monitor your local media for coverage of the report and to respond with letters to the editor and op-eds. Specific actions to highlight include: Asking the FTC to compel food and beverage companies to provide information on specific practices documented in the report, including “cookies,” “tags,” and other profiling and tools; “psychosocial research”; social-network campaigns; user-generated content; immersive media; and avatar-based techniques.

Click here to access the executive summary, full report, and interactive visual examples.
We welcome you to share any letters or op-eds that get published with the rest of the Strategic Alliance membership by sending them to sana@preventioninstitute.org

WHAT IS THE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE?
The Strategic Alliance is reframing the debate on nutrition and physical activity away from a focus on individual choice and lifestyle towards one of environment and corporate and government responsibility. Current Steering Committee members are: California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program (CANFit), California Center for Public Health Advocacy, California Food Policy Advocates, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, California Parks and Recreation Society, California Project LEAN, California WIC Association, Child Care Food Program Roundtable, Latino Health Access, Partnership for the Public's Health, Prevention Institute, Samuels & Associates and YMCA of the East Bay.

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER
The Strategic Alliance is currently engaged in building a broad and diverse statewide membership. To join or for more information, please visit us on the Web, www.eatbettermovemore.org, or contact Sana Chehimi at 510.444.7738 or Sana@preventioninstitute.org. And even if you're already a member, please forward this message on to your colleagues so we can continue to strengthen our coalition. Thank you!
The Strategic Alliance is reframing the debate on nutrition and physical activity--from a focus on individual choice and lifestyle, towards one of environment and corporate and government responsibility.