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MOST Birmingham Bloomfield High School Students
Do Not Drink Alcohol.
This is the social norm in our communities.
This is the message we want our teens to hear.
Students misperceive that most other students drink.
When surveyed in 2007, 3,056 students at Andover, Lahser, Groves and Seaholm
answered that they thought 94% of students at their schools drank
alcohol. Based on the same survey, the actual percentage is 38%.
Does that mean that we don't have a problem with teen alcohol use in our communities?
No! Any alcohol use can be harmful and the evidence is becoming
increasingly clear; alcohol use by those under the age of 21 can damage
brain development with long term consequences for intellectual
capabilities and an increased risk for addiction.
We want to correct the misperception of use.
Why? Research shows that teens are largely influenced by and conform to
peer norms. It also shows that when the peer norm is exaggerated and
alcohol use is overestimated, the use of alcohol increases. The
misperceived norm shapes behavior in a negative way. We want to shape
behavior in a positive, healthy way with the knowledge of the actual
norms.
Our goal is to increase the percentage of students that do not drink.
We are working to do this by promoting the actual norms and healthy
choices that our students make. We are giving truthful and positive
messages to students to influence them to make healthy choices. We are
doing this while continuing to provide support and resources to teens
that are part of the minority.
The "social norms approach"
is a health-based, evidence-based strategy that the Birmingham
Bloomfield Community Coalition has adopted.
The method has proven successful in reducing alcohol use and abuse in colleges and high schools across the country.
The Social Norms Approach
Social norms are people's beliefs about the attitudes and behaviors that are normal, acceptable and even expected in a particular social context. In many cases, people's perceptions of these norms will greatly influence their behavior.
The social norms approach works by correcting a target population's misperceptions about its own attitudes and behaviors. It does this by consistently exposing a target population to a variety of messages about its actual and healthy norms. The approach has been a successful prevention tool to reducing substance use and abuse in teens.
You can learn more about the social norms approach by visiting the National Social Norms Institute website listed under "Social Norms Links" below.
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