Environmental Prevention Strategies June 23, 2011 Presentation for the Plumas County ATOD Coalition Mimi Hall

Environmental Prevention Strategies: Environmental strategies focus on changing aspects of the environment that contribute to the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs They specifically aim to decrease health and social consequences of ATOD by limiting ACCESS and changing accepting and permissive social norms They can change laws, policies and practices to create environments that decrease the probability of illegal ATOD use and abuse

Individual vs. Environmental Strategies Individual strategies are short-term actions focused on changing individual behavior Environmental strategies involve longer-term, potentially permanent changes that have a broader reach (e.g., policies and laws that affect all members of a population). The most effective prevention plans will use both environmental and individual prevention strategies. Coalitions are driven by citizen-identified issues

Environmental strategies are useful for three reasons 1. Efficiency Affect every member of the target population i.e. training clerks to check ID’s Lasting effects - when policy, regulation, or norms are changed they remain so for a very long time. When in place, easily maintained and cost effective. i.e. Seatbelt use began through regulation and has become the norm. The initial cost may be high, but after the behavior becomes the norm, it is self-sustaining, reducing costs. The "crash-test dummies" are now retired after making seat belt use the norm for over 85 percent of the U.S. population. 

Environmental strategies are useful for three reasons 2. Speed Strategies aimed at the shared environment often produce results much faster than strategies aimed at individual environments. For example, enforcing the alcohol purchase age compared to increasing alcohol prices (manipulations of availability) can produce immediate reductions in youth alcohol use.

Environmental strategies are useful for three reasons 3. Enhancement A community wide coordinated approach addressing the shared environment complements our individual strategies. An environmental approach brings a shared focus to these individual strategies, providing a community response that may encompass reaching out the entire Spectrum of Prevention

The Spectrum of Prevention: Identifies multiple levels of intervention and helps people move beyond the perception that prevention is merely education 6. Influencing policy and legislation 5. Changing organizational practices 4. Fostering coalitions and networks 3. Educating providers 2. Promoting community education 1. Strengthening individual knowledge and skills

Sample Environmental Strategies Reducing availability Limiting location and density of retail outlets Restricting alcohol sales at youth and community events Limit sales hours Server/clerk training Restrict advertising Placement Signage – size, placement, type Sponsorships at sports/family events Enforcement Compliance checks Shoulder taps Drivers license loss Media Campaigns Education of public to laws and norms Education youth and parents Educate business re: laws and “how to card”

Last Time: Our Environments as Determinants of Health The choices we make are the choices we have Access to school and community based prevention programs? Access to counseling and treatment? Locations and density of liquor and convenience stores? Ease of youth access to alcohol, tobacco and drugs? Community norms regarding the use of ATOD? Strong, thriving families with meaningful support network?

Spring 2011 Tobacco Youth Purchase Survey Results Youth are trained in Youth Purchase Survey Protocol. Using their real ID’s, they make attempted buys at tobacco retail outlets Stores: 32; Visits: 24; Sales: 8/33% Chester – 1; Greenville – 1; Portola – 2; Quincy – 2 Follow up with merchant education and training

THANK YOU “The ideas of one generation become the instincts of the next.” D.J. Lawrence