We need your help identifying programs from Washington State to nominate for Service to Science.
Do you know of an innovative program (or evidence-based program adapted for specific populations) that has...
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June 9, 2012
Today, the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) released the 2011 national, state, and local Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) results on the YRBS Web site. A CDC press release highlights significant improvements in many health behaviors during the past two decades—including behaviors related to seatbelt use and alcohol use. Survey results also show that increased use of technology has resulted in new risks, such as texting or e-mailing while driving and...
read more June 9, 2012
By Anita Hamilton, Bloomberg Business Week
The infamous alcohol-fueled slushies sold at open-air bars on Bourbon Street in New Orleans have led to countless brain freezes. For fourth-generation locals Antonio and Sal LaMartina, they led to a business: Big Easy Blends. The brothers are trying to bring a taste of the city's night life to homes around the country with a line of frozen drinks in squeezable pouches they launched in 2009. Dubbed Cordina, a mashup of their last name and...
read more June 9, 2012
By MIKE STOBBE, ssociated Press
ATLANTA (AP) — More than half of high school seniors admit they text or email while driving — the first federal statistics on how common the dangerous habit is in teens.
An anonymous national survey conducted last year found that 58 percent of high school seniors said they had texted or emailed while driving during the previous month. About 43 percent of high school juniors acknowledged they did the same thing.
"I...
read more June 8, 2012
June 8, 2012
The Department of Veterans Affairs will collaborate with the “100,000 Homes Campaign” to help find permanent housing for 10,000 vulnerable and chronically homeless Veterans this year.
The “100,000 Homes Campaign” is a national movement of 117 communities working together to find permanent homes for 100,000 vulnerable and chronically homeless individuals and families by July of 2014.
The collaboration is intended to help accomplish Secretary Eric Shinseki...
read more June 8, 2012
By Join Together Staff
Surveys of American and European teenagers have found dramatic differences between the two groups’ substance use. While American teens smoke and drink less than their European peers, they are more likely to use illegal drugs.
The results come from coordinated school surveys about substance use that include more than 100,000 students around Europe. They are largely modeled on the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future survey in...
June 8, 2012
By Join Together Staff
Neighborhoods with medical marijuana dispensaries are no more likely than other areas to have crime, according to a new study conducted in Sacramento, California.
The study analyzed crime statistics in 95 neighborhoods in Sacramento in 2009, before the city passed laws that regulated where dispensaries could be located, and increased restrictions on what types of security measures the facilities needed.
The researchers say they...
June 8, 2012
June 8, 2012
By Join Together Staff
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is looking to compromise with state senators who oppose his plan to decriminalize open possession of small amounts of marijuana, The Wall Street Journal reports. The compromise could significantly scale back the plan, the article notes.
Under the governor’s proposal, it would be considered a violation to openly possess 25 grams, or seven-eighths of an ounce, or less of marijuana. Violations usually involve a...
June 8, 2012
By Join Together Staff
Arizona, which has one of the country’s strictest rules regarding medical marijuana sales, is beginning the complicated process of regulating medical marijuana dispensaries, according to The New York Times.
Dispensaries have to comply with local zoning laws, offer detailed plans on how to secure, store and track the marijuana, and provide educational materials. Arizona is the only state in the country that requires dispensaries to hire a...
June 8, 2012
By Join Together Staff
More teenagers smoke marijuana than cigarettes, according to a survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The survey found 23 percent of high school students said they recently smoked marijuana, compared with 18 percent who said they had smoked cigarettes.
The number of teenagers who smoke cigarettes has been declining for decades, the Associated Press reports. Marijuana use has risen in recent years. The AP notes...
June 8, 2012
June 8, 2012
By Prevention Action
As the roster of evidence-based interventions grows, increasing attention is being paid to why they work. What are the “active ingredients” of an intervention? What elements work well together?
In a US violence prevention program for middle school students, the “active ingredients” were positive, consistent parental discipline practices and family cohesion, a new study finds. A family-focused intervention with high-...
June 2, 2012
Communities across the country are working effectively to promote prevention in the first place through environmental, policy and systems changes. For instance:
- In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a coalition of youth, program staff and agencies worked together to revitalize Hunting Park, an 87-acre park in North Philadelphia.
- The city of Richmond, California, developed a comprehensive general plan to address public health in community design.
