Substance abuse is a national problem of major concern.
Addressing this problem requires a long term commitment and inter-disciplinary creativity due to the changing nature of the problem and variety of motivations leading to the initiation of use. The course will critically review existing national, state, and local school health programs aimed at minimizing drug abuse among high school students and translate the fruits of this research to the ARHS context. Through this course, graduate students will gain knowledge about the risk factors that lead to substance abuse and experience and perspective in measuring, estimating, and interpreting the extent of substance abuse and associated risk and resiliency factors in the Amherst community relative to the region, state, and nation. The course will identify data gaps and needs that might better inform the broader Amherst community about factors that make substance abuse more likely and about innovative programs that may reduce abuse. The results of original data collection efforts will be used in planning prevention programs and will be integrated into the course for future offerings.