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High Schools, Universities Lower Tobacco & Alcohol Use
Through Social Norms Interventions High Schools CHICAGO, July 22, 2004 -- Social norms is an effective method of reducing tobacco and alcohol usage among high school students as reported today at the National Social Norms Conference in Chicago. High schools in Evanston and Naperville, Illinois, which have been among the first in the country to utilize a social norms model on the high school level, have witnessed significant reductions after just two years.
"The success among a growing number of colleges and universities in achieving significant reductions in high-risk drinking and related harmful behavior has paved the way for the social norms approach to be applied successfully in high schools and communities," said Michael Haines, Director of the National Social Norms Resource Center, which presented the conference. "We have developed a guidebook, introduced at the conference, so that high schools across the country can implement their own successful social norms campaigns."
A Guide to Marketing Social Norms for Health Promotion is the first comprehensive, step-by-step manual for those who are interested in using the social norms approach to address school age and community-wide issues. The guide explains in depth the five stages necessary for a successful social norms campaign, including initial planning, data collection, strategy development, implementation and evaluation.
Strength in Numbers was launched in November 2001 targeting Evanston Township (IL) High Schools' students, parents and staff. The campaign included a yearly survey developed by the Center for Prevention Research and Development at the University of Illinois, focus groups conducted periodically throughout the year, and postcards, ads and promotional items displayed and distributed throughout the community. After the second year of implementation, data showed a 4% decrease in the percentage point of students who use tobacco regularly (which
equates to a 25% reduction in the proportion of students) and a 5% decrease in the percentage point of students who use alcohol regularly (which equates to an 11% reduction in the proportion of students). Due to the initial success, the campaign is now expanding to include middle school students and their parents.
The Naperville social norms marketing campaign also began in 2001. A survey of a random sample of 9-11th grade students indicated that students thought that only 9% of students their age never smoke, when in reality, 75% reported they do not smoke cigarettes. Seeking to correct this misperception, students were targeted with a poster campaign for the next 16 months, after which they were resurveyed. Results show a 7% reduction in perceived peer tobacco use and an 8% reduction in actual tobacco use. A new campaign, focusing on underage
drinking, began in January 2004 and will continue for the next four years.
"Social norms is truly a cost-effective method of achieving widespread results that focuses on positive behaviors as opposed to scare tactics," remarked Haines. "We are encouraged by these early findings and hope for additional successes in the other communities, such as the two in Massachusetts participating in the Social Norms Alcohol Problem Prevention for Youth (SNAPPY) project, experimenting with the social norms model." Colleges and Universities
Data collected as a result of the largest nationwide study of college students to date shows that reducing misperceptions of peer behavior significantly reduces high-risk drinking and its negative consequences, according to a report presented today at the National Social Norms Conference in Chicago, IL. The National College Health Assessment Survey was administered between 2000 and 2003 and included more than 76,000 students at 130 colleges and universities. "The study clearly demonstrates that students' perceptions of the
drinking norms on their campus is by far the strongest predictor of the amount of alcohol personally consumed," said Michael Haines, Director of the National Social Norms Resource Center, who is presenting the conference. "Furthermore, colleges whose prevention efforts reduce students' misperceptions of peer drinking reduce high-risk drinking and negative consequences. That is what social norms campaigns are designed to do." Social norms methodology is the widely discussed method of public health promotion based on communicating accurate
information about the prevalence of healthy behavior in order to produce more healthy behavior. "It was particularly interesting to note that at over 90% of schools, prevention program information is not associated with reducing misperceptions," said H. Wesley Perkins, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and co-presenter of the study at the conference. "In fact, many prevention programs actually inflate misperceptions, leading to increases in drinking behaviors."
Social Norms College Case Studies Florida State University is a large public institution with 37,000 students that has used an integrated approach to reducing high-risk drinking. Its social norms efforts were integrated across the FSU campus, encompassing everything from administrative offices to residence halls and student governments. The campaign has resulted in a 15% reduction in high-risk drinking among male students and a 5% reduction among female students since 2002. Another highly successful
implementation was used to promote health among college-student athletes. Two projects, one at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York, and one at five Division III schools that are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), were launched in 2001 to test the possibility of reducing misperceptions of high student-athlete alcohol and tobacco use in order to increase positive behaviors. The campaigns, which included anonymous web-based surveys, print and electronic marketing materials, and peer education seminars, resulted
in an average 32% reduction in the proportion of student-athletes drinking more than once per week, as well as an average 29.5% reduction in the proportion of student- athletes experiencing frequent negative consequences due to drinking during the academic term. "Health practitioners are increasingly understanding the potent influence of the peer group on individual behaviors and as such, are using social norms theory with greater frequency," remarked Perkins. "Another example of an effective use of the social norms approach is Montana's Most
of Us Campaign, which has curbed impaired driving among young adults. With this and other campaigns, evidence continues to accumulate supporting the theory and its effectiveness across a wide range of social issues."
For more information, visit the Social Norm website.
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