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FOCUS GROUP WITH PARENTS OF CHILDREN IN GRADES 8, 9 OR 10 February, 2010

FOCUS GROUP WITH PARENTS OF CHILDREN IN GRADES 8, 9 OR 10 February, 2010. METHODOLOGY. RECRUITMENT: Strategic Opinion Research, Inc. (SOR) developed a flyer for DanversCARES to distribute throughout the community and within the school system.

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FOCUS GROUP WITH PARENTS OF CHILDREN IN GRADES 8, 9 OR 10 February, 2010

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  1. FOCUS GROUP WITH PARENTS OF CHILDREN IN GRADES 8, 9 OR 10 February, 2010 Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  2. METHODOLOGY • RECRUITMENT: • Strategic Opinion Research, Inc. (SOR) developed a flyer for DanversCARES to distribute throughout the community and within the school system. • SOR phone number was listed for interested parents to call. Parents were screened for age of children to ensure diversity. • To encourage a diverse range of parents, not just those interested in DanversCARES, we offered a customary incentive of $100. • To maximize participation, parents were sent confirmation letters, a reminder email as well as a reminder phone call the day before. • DISCUSSION GUIDE: • SOR developed a discussion guide with feedback from Thomson Communication and DanversCARES. • THE GROUPS: • Two groups were conducted on Feb. 3rd, 2010 and were led by an experienced, objective moderator. Each group lasted approximately 2 hours. • In group one, we had 12 out of 12 people participate and in group two, 11 out of the 12 recruited showed up. Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  3. CONCERNS FOR THEIR CHILDREN Common factor - most worry about their child’s future • Making healthy decisions/choices • Resisting peer pressure • Staying on the right track • Overachievement/burn out • Transitioning to high school • Just a couple had no worries Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  4. AWARENESS ABOUT UNDERAGE DRINKING IN DANVERS • When asked what percent of teens in Danvers drink, the average response was 57%. • Most know that teens access alcohol from their families’ homes, either with or without permission/consent or knowledge of the parent. • Most believe teen drinking in Danvers is a problem, but do not see it being more of an issue in Danvers than other communities. Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  5. STRATEGY • Give a statistic, indicate that it is higher than the state average and provide reasons why it is a concern, tying it into their children’s future. Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  6. AWARENESS ABOUT YOUTH ACCESSING ALCOHOL FROM HOME • Parents were not surprised to hear that teens find it easy to access alcohol from home. They acknowledge that teens get alcohol from home and drink at home or other places. • Parents also acknowledged that parents choose to turn a blind eye until they are forced to deal with it (ex. child coming home visibly intoxicated). • When personally confronted with the situation of catching teens drinking, parents approached the situation in varied ways—ignoring, only dealing with their child, calling other parents, confronting their teens’ friends directly. Nobody seemed to know the “correct” way. Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  7. CONCERN WITH TEENS ACCESSING ALCOHOL FROM HOME • While parents are concerned with teens drinking and accessing alcohol from their home, they see it as commonplace. Sometimes when something is commonplace, parents become complacent believing they do not have control. • Most parents have not taken steps to limit access to alcohol in their home, even after they have caught their teen drinking. Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  8. STRATEGY • Don’t focus on just raising awareness. Provide practical strategies to prevent. • Parents believe communication with their teen is the best way to limit access. • Provide tips of how parents can communicate expectations with their teens. • Motivate parents to implement the strategies by focusing on the effects it can have on their children and their futures. Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  9. ALLOWABLE SITUATIONS TO DRINK • Nobody admitted to allowing other teens to drink in their home; however, 2 believed that older teens should be allowed to drink at home with family, and 3 said it is allowable for teens to drink when they are older (college or senior in high school). • Many said they would never allow an underage teen to drink in their home because it sends the wrong message, and it is against the law. Several also indicated that parents turn a blind eye. Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  10. STRATEGIES TO LIMIT YOUTH ACCESS TO ALCOHOL IN A HOME • Communication with their teen about expectations and proper behavior seemed to be the most effective strategies. • However, many were concerned about being too vigilant out of fear that it could affect their trust with their child. • Getting alcohol out of the house seemed to be a good idea only for those who don’t keep alcohol at home. Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  11. IDEAS TO LIMIT YOUTH ACCESS TO ALCOHOL AT HOME • Parents believe communication with your teen is the number one way based on the strategies they checked as being the best. • #1 suggestion: “Give your child strategies to get out of a situation where another youth is getting alcohol from somewhere.” • #2: “Talk to your child about alcohol and the expectations around accessing alcohol.” • After communication, monitoring/limiting is the next best way to prevent access. • #3: Don’t let your child attend a function if you know there is alcohol present. • #4: Call other parents to make sure they will be home and there will be no alcohol. • #5: Monitor the beer in your home. Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  12. IDEAS TO LIMIT YOUTH ACCESS TO ALCOHOL AT HOME • Strategies that forced parents to prevent access from their own homes were less popular: • Tied for last place: • “Place a collar on each bottle that says “hands off” or similar message. • “Participate in a coordinated community event such as a “pour me” day. • “Lock your liquor cabinet.” • These strategies may have scored low because parents do not want to send the message to their teens that they do not trust them because they believe that will impede communication. Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  13. STRATEGIES TO PREVENT YOUTH ACCESS # CHECKING THIS IDEA AS A GOOD IDEA • 23 Give your child strategies to get out of a situation where another youth is getting alcohol from somewhere • 22 Talk to your child about alcohol and the expectations around accessing alcohol • 17 Do not let your child attend if you know there is alcohol present • 16 Call other parents to make sure that they will be home when your child goes somewhere and ask if there will be any alcohol present • 15 Monitor the beer in your refrigerator, garage, basement, etc. • 13 Set expectations with older siblings and/or relatives like grandparents not to provide alcohol to your younger child or other underage teens • 10 Implement consequences for your child if he/she is in a situation where alcohol was obtained from home or a friend’s home • 5 Clean out your liquor cabinet once each year (like changing smoke detectors or turning back clocks) • 5 Ask other parents to join you in caring, and being vigilant in not having alcohol available for kids to get into • 5 Check or leave backpacks/bags at the door when children hang out at your house • 4 Let other parents know you disapprove of their allowing alcohol in their home • 4 Let other parents know you will not allow alcohol in your own home • 4 Measure/mark the amount/level of alcohol in each bottle • 4 Reinforce/reward your child for not experimenting with alcohol at home or in the home of friends • 3 Place a note to your child inside the refrigerator or liquor cabinet that reminds them you are watching • 2 Place a “Collar” on each bottle of booze that says, “hands off” or similar message to kids • 3 Lock your liquor cabinet • 2 Participate in a coordinated community event such as a “pour me” day, where households pour out unused alcohol Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  14. WORDS TO USE IN ADVERTISEMENTS # Who Checked off Word as a Good Word • 22 Responsibility Write-In: communication, naïve, • 17 Prevent awareness, percentage, • 10 Access reality, accept, home, • 10 Influence educate, illegal, future • 10 Act • 8 Monitor • 8 Leader • 6 Lose • 6 Limit • 6 Opportunity • 3 Lock • 2 Key • 1 Reckless • 0 Measure Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  15. TONE OF THE MESSAGE • All believed that the message must be serious in tone to deliver the right message to parents.

  16. EFFECTIVE MESSENGERS • Parents want to hear a personal message from a teen. • A voice of authority seems too distant and will not have the same emotional response as a child. • Other parents were seen as good messengers as well. Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  17. MOST EFFECTIVE MESSAGE DELIVERY STRATEGIES Number Selecting Message Delivery • 14 Parent Forums • 13 Email Notices • 11 Newspaper Articles • 11 School Newsletters • 9 School Events • 8 Banner Hung Downtown • 7 Local Businesses • 6 Advertisements • 6 Community Events • 6 Direct Mail • 6 Outdoor Billboards • 5 Cable Access • 5 Local Radio • 5 Bumper Stickers • 4 Online Chatrooms, Social Networking • 3 Promotional Items Additional Suggestions: automated video and written messages via email; electronic online surveys; school orientation (mentioned by 4); 8th grade graduation Parents liked the idea of using high school orientation as a way to reach parents. Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

  18. CONCLUSION • Teen drinking is nothing new to Danvers parents. The self reported age when parents began to drink was 17. Accessing alcohol from home is also not a surprise. Because of this, effective messaging can not just be statistics and raising awareness. It must also come with specific strategies to equip parents as well motivate parents to action. • Parents want open communication with their teen and will be unlikely to follow advice that could jeopardize communication or established trust. • Strategies that tell them to lock up their liquor, put messaging collars on their bottles, go through children’s backpacks may seem like a good idea, but probably will not be implemented. • Provide strategies that will support parents to communicate with their teens, other teens and parents and handle situations around accessing alcohol. • Motivate parents to action by putting it in the context of their children’s future. What could they lose? • Personalize the campaign. People want to hear about Danvers. Include Danvers statistics and real people from Danvers. Research Conducted By Strategic Opinion Research, Inc.

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