Lessons Learned

After completing 2 visits to each of the 12 target and 12 comparison sites, one at baseline and one shortly after the Media Campaign was initiated, certain themes and issues repeatedly emerged. Although it is too soon to assess the overall success of the Media Campaign, it seems clear that recall of the ads was very high among youth, parents, and community representatives in the 12 sites targeted by the Media Campaign. It would be premature to make recommendations regarding the implementation of the next phase of the Media Campaign; however, intermediate findings do support the formulation of some valuable lessons. These lessons can serve to inform future directions and efforts of the Media Campaign.

Lesson 1: Improving Anti-Drug Media Ads

There was considerable agreement across sites, communities, community representatives, youth, and parents about how to improve the ads. Participants of focus groups and individual community representatives who were interviewed agreed that ads need to be realistic, present the facts, and use local contact telephone numbers for referrals. Other recommendations included the following:

• Use first-person testimonials, especially by youth peers;
• Provide advice to parents on how best to communicate with their children;
• Customize ads toward specific ethnic and age groups;
• Involve more youth and local figures in the ads; and
• Portray physical signs and symptoms of drug use.

Lesson 2: The Precarious Situation of Parents

Parents were consistently described by youth and by themselves as a weak link in the effort to educate children about the dangers of drugs. Parents freely admitted that their children know more than they do about the signs of drug use, what drugs look like, and the effects of using drugs. Youth commented on the fact that many parents are poor role models because they use drugs themselves or, in some cases, because they look the other way while their children use drugs. While acknowledging the general problem of youth drug use, many parents did not believe their own children were a part of the problem. Parents frequently expressed a strong interest in learning more about the dangers of drugs, and they asked for help in learning how to communicate with their children on this issue.

Lesson 3: Confounding Societal and Contextual Issues

Target and comparison sites alike are "open systems" subject to a complex array of pressures and influences. Therefore, it is not surprising that the intermediate findings identified a number of factors that work against the potential success of the Media Campaign. Anti-drug ads are presented back-to-back with effective advertising for beer and tobacco. The Internet, television shows, and song lyrics heard on radio frequently condone the use of drugs. Youth are bombarded with these messages on a daily basis. Mothers and fathers frequently work long hours outside of the home, leaving their children free during the afterschool hours to watch television and be exposed to messages that glamorize drug use. Youth, particularly high school students, are subjected to ever-increasing sources of stress in their daily lives. Future decisions about the design and implementation of the Media Campaign should be made within the context of these issues.

Lesson 4: Risks of Presumably Protective "Structured" Activities

Youth, particularly middle school and high school students, frequently described organized and supervised activities as opportunities to gain access to and use drugs. School dances, music concerts, and other extracurricular events are scenes of shootings and other drug-related violence. Students often commented on the fact that athletic competitions, whether on their own school campus or on another school's grounds, offer an opportunity to buy drugs. Many youth noted that school athletes often relax after a game by drinking beer and using other drugs. They described the locker room as a frequent scene of drug deals. Youth also resented the fact that school athletes caught using drugs often are given a lighter penalty than other students. Although youth frequently described these organized activities as risky opportunities, parents generally were not aware that these activities expose their children to drug use. These situations should be addressed by new ads developed for the Media Campaign.

Lesson 5: Suburbs in Jeopardy

Many respondents, including youth, parents, and community representatives, noted that the drug problem can no longer be characterized as an urban problem. It is pervasive in the suburbs and other communities across almost all of the sites visited for this evaluation. Some drugs, including designer drugs, cocaine, hallucinogens, methamphetamines, and prescription and nonprescription drugs, were described as being commonly used by youth in the suburbs. Suburban youth were frequently described as traveling to the city to buy their drugs and then returning home to use them. Many younger youth reported they obtain drugs from their older siblings and college students who are home for the weekend or the summer.

Parents of suburban youth were described as being less savvy about their own children's drug use. Likewise, suburban parents were more likely to deny that youth drug use was a problem in their communities. Many suburban parents commented that the new anti-drug ads helped them initiate conversations with their own children about the dangers of drug use. These same parents asked that more anti-drug messages be developed to educate them and help them communicate with their children. Parents also commented on the need to provide other programs, such as mentoring and parent education programs, that would support the messages of the Media Campaign.

Lesson 6: Embattled Schools

Schools were described as veritable "battle zones" where drugs are readily available to youth. Many youth reported they could get any drugs they wanted at school. Drugs are available in neighborhoods, on walking routes to school, in school parking lots, on school buses, and in empty gymnasiums and other common areas. Students talked freely about security guards and other school personnel who are known to use drugs. Future media messages may be able to appeal to youth who must deal with these negative influences every day.

Lesson 7: Merits of the Media Campaign to Date

Several intermediate findings suggest some short-term successes of the Media Campaign to date. Although younger youth often laughed about some of the anti-drug ads, they did admit the ads captured their attention and that they learned something from them. Although the reaction was mixed among middle school students, many youth in this age group thought the ads would help some of them. They, along with high school students, agreed the ads would be most effective with younger children in elementary grades.

Parents generally supported the messages of the ads and said the ads had made them face the reality of youth drug use in their own communities. Youth, parents, and community informants in many different organizations were very aware of the recent increase in ads, particularly those aired on television and radio and, to a lesser degree, those featured on billboards. The Media Campaign ads were viewed as a step in the right direction because they help communities focus their local prevention efforts.