Project Grant H79SP083791

MISSISSIPPI YOUTH FIVE COUNTY REGION FOR ENHANCING NARCOTIC, DRUG, AND SUBSTANCE USE AWARENESS - MY FRENDS - MISSISSIPPI YOUTH FIVE-COUNTY REGION FOR ENHANCING NARCOTIC, DRUG, AND SUBSTANCE USE AWARENESS (MY FRENDS) THE MISSISSIPPI PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE (MSPHI) AND ITS PARTNERS PROPOSE TO LAUNCH MY FRENDS (MS YOUTH FIVE-COUNTY REGION FOR ENHANCING NARCOTIC, DRUG, AND SUBSTANCE USE AWARENESS), WHICH WILL DIRECTLY SERVE 3000 YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS TOTAL (600 PER YEAR) AND REACH ANOTHER 40,000 OVER FIVE YEARS WITH MEDIA MESSAGING. GROUPS WILL BE DEMOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE BY AGE, GENDER, AND RACE-ETHNICITY. PRIORITIZING A RANGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGIES TO INCLUDE POPULATION-BASED INTERVENTIONS, MEDIA MESSAGING, AND POLICY INNOVATIONS, MY FRENDS WILL HELP REDUCE THE ONSET AND PROGRESSION OF SUBSTANCE MISUSE AND ITS RELATED PROBLEMS BY SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY OF SUBSTANCE MISUSE PREVENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION SERVICES WITHIN THE HINDS, MADISON, RANKIN, SCOTT, AND WARREN CATCHMENT AREA AS WELL AS AMONG THE MISSISSIPPI BAND OF CHOCTAW INDIANS (MBCI) IN NEARBY EAST CENTRAL MS. FOCAL POPULATIONS WILL INCLUDE YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS AGES 9-20 FOR UNDERAGE DRINKING ALONG WITH MARIJUANA, OPIOID, AND STIMULANT (MOST) USE/MISUSE PREVENTION FOR YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS. MISSISSIPPI (MS) EXHIBITS THE MOST PRONOUNCED NEGATIVE SOCIAL INDICATORS IN THE US, INCLUDING THE NATION'S MOST LIMITED ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. MS YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS ALSO FACE MANY DEVELOPMENTAL HURDLES. MS'S CHILD POVERTY RATE (28.1%) IS COUPLED WITH AN EARLY AGE OF ALCOHOL ONSET AND ELEVATED UNDERAGE DRINKING, MARIJUANA, OPIOID, AND STIMULANT RISKS. THE COMMUNITIES TO BE SERVED BY MY FRENDS HAVE ELEVATED DRUG USE RATES, PARTICULARLY FOR HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS AND SENIORS, COUPLED WITH LAX PERCEPTIONS OF HARM. NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF SURVEYED MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS PERCEIVE NO RISK OR MINIMAL RISK ASSOCIATED WITH HEAVY ALCOHOL USE. ABOUT HALF HAVE SIMILARLY MISGUIDED VIEWS ABOUT THE PERCEIVED RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH REGULAR MARIJUANA USE. THESE PROBLEMS ARE MAGNIFIED BY MS'S PERMISSIVE CLIMATE TOWARD ALCOHOL USE AND UNDERAGE DRINKING. MS HAS NO KEG REGISTRATION POLICY AND LEGALLY PERMITS MINORS AGES 18-20 YEARS OLD TO DRINK BEER AND WINE AT HOME WITH A PARENT OR GUARDIAN. THE FIVE JACKSON-AREA COUNTIES AND MBCI COMMUNITIES HAVE SUFFICIENT NEARNESS TO PERMIT SIMULTANEOUS SERVICE, BUT EACH HAS DISTINCTIVE FEATURES. LEAST AFFLUENT HINDS AND SCOTT CONTRAST WITH MORE AFFLUENT MADISON, WHILE MOSTLY WHITE RANKIN IS DISTINCT FROM MOSTLY AFRICAN AMERICAN HINDS AND APPRECIABLY HISPANIC SCOTT COUNTY. URBANIZED HINDS STANDS IN DISTINCTION TO MORE RURAL MADISON AND SCOTT. THE MBCI WILL ADD TO THIS DIVERSE MIX OF COMMUNITIES AND CULTURES. MY FRENDS WILL USE A COMPARATIVE IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION DESIGN TO TEST THE EFFICACY OF INTERVENTIONS ACROSS DISTINCT BUT ADJACENT LOCALES THAT ARE ALL HIGH-NEED, LOW-CAPACITY. MY FRENDS WILL BE GOVERNED BY SPF, A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MODEL GROUNDED IN PUBLIC HEALTH PRINCIPLES, DATA-DRIVEN PROTOCOLS, AND EVIDENCE-BASED SERVICES DELIVERED TO HIGH-RISK UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. MY FRENDS WILL: (1) REDUCE UNDERAGE DRINKING AMONG CATCHMENT AREA YOUTH AGES 9-20. (2) REDUCE MARIJUANA, OPIOID, AND STIMULANT (MOST) USE/MISUSE FOR CATCHMENT AREA HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS. (3) REDUCE SCHOOL-RELATED DRUG USE CONSEQUENCES. (4) INCREASE THE PERCEIVED RISK OF HARM ASSOCIATED WITH ALL PRIORITY SUBSTANCES. (5) TRACK AND EVALUATE PREVENTION PROGRAMMING. (6) REDUCE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DISPARITIES. (7) ESTABLISH ROBUST DATA SYSTEMS. (8) IMPROVE THE LOCAL DRUG PREVENTION INFRASTRUCTURE FOR COALITION FUNCTIONING, PREVENTION MESSAGING, AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT. EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES (EBPS) WILL INCLUDE, AMONG OTHERS, ALCOHOL.EDU, POLICY INNOVATIONS (E.G., KEG REGISTRATION), SOCIAL HOST ENFORCEMENT, MEDIA MESSAGING, PROJECT STICKER SHOCK, AND HAZELDEN'S ALTERNATE ROUTES.