HHD Presents Data and Trends on Substance Use across the Lifespan at National Conference

Earlier this fall, HHD staff presented research findings on emerging substance abuse issues affecting children and families, young workers, and older adults at the annual National Prevention Network research conference.  Held in Oregon, the meeting brought together leaders from across the country to discuss ways to bridge the “research-to-practice-gap” in substance abuse prevention.  Consistent with HHD’s focus on synthesizing research to inform practice, each presentation summarized current data and trends and highlighted ways practitioners, researchers, and policy makers could take action to respond.

The first presentation – “Engaging Immigrant Parents in Prevention: Applying Lessons from Community-Based Research with Latin American and Caribbean Immigrants” (PDF) – featured lessons learned from Connecting across Cultures, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded project that applies prevention research to improve the health and well-being of underserved immigrant and refugee families.  HHD’s Deborah McLean Leow and Marisol Hernandez Medina, along with Felipe Castro from Arizona State University, shared their findings and experience of how parenting and acculturation influence youth access to alcohol and other drugs as well as utilization of substance abuse treatment services.

In the second workshop – “Working Under the Influence: Addressing Substance Use Prevention Among 18- to 25-year-olds in the Workforce” (PDF) – HHD’s Shai Fauxman, Courtney Pierce, and Lisa McGlinchy presented research on alcohol use among young adults in the workforce, a population often overshadowed by attention to the substance use of college students.  They shared results of an in-depth literature review on workplace substance abuse prevention efforts, in which they found that few workplace programs address the needs of younger workforces and those that do tend to target “white collar” occupations.  As a result, they recommended that employers with younger workforces – including construction, food service industries, and trucking – adapt existing substance abuse interventions to reach young workers with substance abuse problems. 

In the third presentation – “Substance Use Among Older Adults: Using Data to Bring the Problem to Light” (PDF) – HHD’s Chelsey Goddard and Courtney Pierce showcased creative ways national data sources, such as the Census and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, can be combined to estimate substance abuse patterns and future treatment needs among adults over age 65.  Using state-level data from eleven states, they also examined the nature and amount of data collected on older adults.  Their research revealed that although states recognize that substance abuse is a growing problem among aging baby boomers, very few systems are in place to document or address this issue.
 
To learn more about these presentations and the work HHD is doing to prevent and respond to substance abuse issues across different populations and throughout the lifespan, please contact Lisa McGlinchy, 617-618-2412.

November 21, 2007