Beginning in October 2018, the Cambria County Drug & Alcohol Program assembled a team of community partners to begin a comprehensive prevention needs assessment. The team focused on analyzing Cambria County specific consumption and consequence data to answer the question, “WHAT are the problems in our county?” The team identified thirty day alcohol use as one of the prioritized youth problem behaviors in Cambria County. This substance was prioritized due to the increasing risk for engagement in high risk behaviors with serious consequences. The needs assessment team reviewed the risk/protective factor data in Cambria County’s Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) report to help answer the question, “WHY are the problems occurring in our county?” The team found that Parental Attitudes Favorable to Drug Use was one of the major risk factors associated with youth alcohol use in the community. Parents are one of the most important influences in their child’s choice to experiment with alcohol and other drugs.
Check out these resources to help guide the discussion surrounding youth substance use:
Student Assistance Discussion Starter Video and 2020 Behind-the-Scenes Video can be found on SAMHSA’s YouTube.