Pubdate: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 Source: Quad-City Times (IA) 1018917 Copyright: 2003 Quad-City Times Contact: http://www.qctimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/857 Author: Todd Ruger DRUG-ABUSE EFFORTS SHOULD TARGET PERCEPTIONS .Substance-abuse prevention efforts in Scott County should focus on increasing the perception of youth access to alcohol, tobacco and other illegal drugs and raising awareness of problems from abuse of those products, survey results suggest. Responses to the survey, sent via mail to 611 random Scott County households earlier this year, showed that the 214 respondents hold norms and attitudes about drug use similar to a statistical standard set by other Midwest communities, according to the survey done by the Minnesota Institute of Public Health. However, the responses also show that Scott County residents have a lower perception of the problems associated with substance abuse as well as a lower perception of the easy access youth have to the products, the survey states. The results still show prevention efforts - based on a survey with similar results taken more than two years ago - have worked to improve what the latest study suggests, said Joe Cowley, the clinical director of the Center for Alcohol and Drug Services Inc., or CADS. "I think it says, 'Continue what you're doing,' " he said. Over the past two years, CADS has run programs that teach clerks how to check identifications for tobacco and alcohol purchases, explore the opportunities for youth to purchase alcohol via the Internet and teach youth how those products affect their health, he said. CADS also has worked with community groups to remove environmental influences, such as where alcohol and tobacco are placed in stores and exposure to advertising, he said. "We have looked at how are we trying to help kids look at the issue of health, how do we help them make long-term attitude and behavioral changes," he said. "If we keep kids off drugs, we keep kids safe, we save money because we don't have to treat them later or house them later if they commit crimes." The survey - one of 27 funded by a statewide grant - also said that support and commitment to drug- and alcohol-prevention programs, as well as attitudes that substance abuse is not OK for young people and adults, provide a strong foundation for those programs in Scott County. "We have a community that really understands the importance of prevention services and understands how that impacts our children, our community and the health of our community," he said. However, people do not do anything about a problem if they do not perceive it, said Margaret Sterling, a senior prevention specialist at CADS. Many underage adolescents can pass for 18 years old, adults do buy alcohol and cigarettes for kids and alcohol is in just about everyone's home, she said. "We've even had kids say its easier to get marijuana than alcohol" because drug dealers do not care about the age of the buyer, she said. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman