A Healthier U

Final Program Outline

Janet Rogers
Liberty University

Problem/Need Statement
According to the U.S Department of Health & Human Services, the use of tobacco in
adolescents and young adults has declined significantly over the past 40 years2. In 2014, almost
one in 15 high school seniors report that they are daily smokers and almost one in seven had
smoked at least once in the previous month2. Smoking alone is not the only substance that
adolescents tend to abuse. The use of alcohol is also an issue. The U.S. Department of Health &
Human Services also reports that more adolescents drink alcohol than smoke cigarettes or use
marijuana2.
The majority of the research that has been done supports the fact that there are many
social determinants that can affect whether or not a teen begins the path of substance abuse. One
article mentions the time spent with peers versus family can play a huge impact on the increase
of substance abuse among teens3. Another important factor to consider in whether or not teens
chose alcohol, tobacco or drug use relates to the wealth of not only the nation, but the family.
When the family, nation is more educated, there tends to be a less chance that a teen will begin in
these negative behavior patterns. Children in a higher income countries/family typically attend
school more frequently. 33% of all lower secondary school age adolescents do not attend school
comparted with 4% in Canada, USA and western Europe4. The completion of school provides
great benefits of adolescents improving health and wellbeing4.
Another factor this program will look at and help educate adolescents is the use of ecigarettes. E-cigarettes are designed to deliver nicotine without other chemicals produced by
burning tobacco leaves5. However, there is still much research to be done on this recently
introduced product on the market but there is still harmful cancer-causing, toxic chemicals from
this vaporizing mechanism that can be harmful. Exposure to nicotine during adolescence may
enhance vulnerability to nicotine abuse later in adulthood6. In fact, 90% of adult smokers begin
smoking before the age of 20 years old6.

Goals & Objectives

Goal: The ultimate goal of this initiative is to build a comprehensive local youth system
to improve the health and well-being of the youth so they can reach their full potential3.
Objective: By the end of the first round of program initiatives, there will be centers teens
can feel safe and a part of in Tarrant County.
Goal: It will provide education to teens on the long-term health risks associated with
tobacco, alcohol and drugs.
Objective: By the end of the program, the teens will be able to list in written form the
long term health risks associated with tobacco, alcohol and drugs.
Goal: This program will also work in the community to help provide an environment
that promotes positive youth development.
Objective: At the end of the program, participating teens will be in contact with a local
official for mentorship and development.

Goal: To provide programs for them to become peer educators to be better assistance if
they know someone who is struggling with substance abuse.
Objective: At the end of the program, some teens will be trained to provide basic support
for their peers.

Sponsoring agency/Contact Person

This program A Healthier U will be a part of the Texas Healthy Adolescent Initiative.
The contact person for this program is Janet Rogers.

Primary target audience

The primary audience will be teens and young adults in the community. Some common
characteristics that can been seen in adolescent substance abuse can include their neighborhood
and the availability of the substance, history of violence within the family environment, physical
or emotional abuse, mental illness or substance abuse within the home7. Teens could also suffer
from depression, anxiety or ADHA and believes such substances are cool or harmless7.
Primary target key strategies
Behavioral Grades start to drop, their friends change, appearance
changes and their entire outlook on life changes.
2.

Cultural Some countries accept drinking of wine/beer at an earlier age.

Parents smoke or drink. Peer Pressure

3.

Demographic Teens who are in a stressful situation at home, more often

those teens that come from a higher income level as they have the
and lack of parental supervision as the parents are not that involved
their lives.

4.

Physical The biggest thing here is what happens in the family and if the
parent smoked while young and pregnant. Effects of tobacco can
an early age and the CDC reports that 9 out of 10 cigarette smokers
by age 18 and have continued to smoke.

5.

Psychographic They see their parents or young adults doing it and they
think it looks cool.

money
in

start at
started

Secondary target audience: Parents

Pretest strategy
There will be items that will be done before the program starts. First there will be a
brochure that is attached in appendix 1 and there will be a public service announcement that will
be broadcast, appendix 2. The brochure was tested and the results are posted with the brochure.

At the beginning of the first session, a quick pretest in the form of a quiz will be given. This will
only be used to determine what the teens know and that they think they may know. At the
conclusion of the program, another quiz in almost the exact context will be given. Doctors,
counselors at school, pastors and other adults that deal with children on a daily basis will be
aware of the program and will begin to refer what they may feel as trouble teens to our
program.
Theoretical foundation
PRECEDE-PROCEED framework. This framework examines what the contributing
factors are to actually change the behavior. There are three factors, the predisposing factors
which include the knowledge, attitudes, behavior, beliefs and values before the intervention will
affect change8. The enabling factors in the environment or community of that teen and the
reinforcing factors. The reinforcing factors are the positive or negative effects of changing the
behavior8. Teens at this age or so influential and they tend to look at their parents as examples.
Depending upon what type of environment they grow up in, it may be difficult to change their
behavior or thoughts toward the use of tobacco, alcohol or drugs.
Management Chart
Responsible Persons
Board of Directors

Tasks
*Overall budget management
*Hiring of manager
*Seeking grants
*Overall structure of program

Manager

* Hire staff
* Oversee daily activities
* Coordinate volunteers
* Work within given budget
* Approve promotional
material
* Answer calls
* Monitor website and
provide answers if needed
* Design promotional
material
* Provide support for
volunteers
* Volunteers will provide
support for the teens as
needed
* They will also perform
basic office duties on an as
needed basis

Staff

Volunteers

Timetable
*Fund raising will begin now.
* Hiring of the manager will
take place 6 months prior to
startup
* Overall structure will take
place on a monthly basis
* Staff will be ready to go 3
months prior to opening
* Volunteers will be ready at
least 1 month prior to
opening
* Other tasks on a daily basis
*Staff will be ready to go at
least 6 months prior to
opening

* Help staff at community

events
Budget
An example of the month budget can be found below. The cost that is associated with
miscellaneous is related to printing costs, sponsoring booths at local community events and other
such marketing tools needed.

Cash Flow
October 2015
Cash In
-Grants
-Donations
-Fundraisers
Totals
Cash Out
-Salaries
-Utilities
- Misc
Total Out
Net

200,000
30,000
15,000
245,000
175,000
7,000
63,000
245,000
0

Balance Sheet
ASSETS
Non-current assets
-Building
-Furniture
-Investments
Current Assets
-Cash on Hand
TOTAL ASSETS

245,000
370,000

EQUITY AND LIABILITES

-Owner's equity
-Creditors/payables
TOTAL LIABILITIES

125,000
245,000
370,000

75,000
30,000
20,000

Issues of concern/potential problems

Some of the potential issues this program could face would be a high dropout rate.
Because teens are at such an influential stage in their lives, if someone they know were to make
fun of them or give them a hard time about the program then they might have a tendency to give
up and not follow through with the program.
Another potential problem would be to get the information out there to everyone. Teens
do not think that what they are doing is wrong or bad therefore they do not think there is a
problem. It might make it difficult to get information out to these teens if they tend to avoid the
events that would have promotional material. Public service announcements will also be used
and brochures will be sent home but if there is a family history of tobacco, alcohol or drugs then
the information has a higher chance of being ignored.

Evaluation Strategies
The evaluation process will continue throughout the entire program. It is important to
continue to evaluate the materials, messages and if they are appealing to the intended audience.
At the end of the program there will be an evaluation form for the participants to fill out on the
activities of the program and how they thought the material was presented. More importantly, an
evaluation will be sent home to the parents and asked to be returned via mail or electronic mail to
see how the teens behavior or attitude may have changed. If a teen continues to work with the
program on a volunteer basis and continue to interact with governmental officials, the officials
will also provide feedback on a regular basis.

Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be seen that there is a need for a program to help teens realize just
how dangerous tobacco, alcohol and drugs are, not just in their lives now but in their future.
Through this program this information will be presented and the children will be more aware of
the risks. This program will also offer other activities for this age group to be involved in to help
them have something to do after school if they are not involved in sports. In order to help an
individual possibly not using such substances, they also need to feel good about themselves and
lead a healthy lifestyle. This program will encourage other involvement in healthy eating,
exercise programs and allow teens to be trained to help others and be a peer listener.

Appendix 1

Sample Press Release

(Flesh
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2015

Contact:
E-mail:
Website:

Janet Rogers
jrogers77@liberty.edu
jrogers77@weebly.com

(Fort Worth, TX) The Tarrant County Health Department is on a mission to reduce the number
of teens who abuse tobacco, alcohol or drugs in the community. The health department is
providing teens with an opportunity to enroll in a free educational program in their school called
A Healthier U.
A Healthier U, is free and offered in schools to provide education to all teens on the longterm risks of using tobacco, alcohol or drugs. It also provides support for those who abuse
substances on tips to stop. In one session, 100 percent of participants increased their knowledge
regarding the bad effects of tobacco and alcohol and the small percentage who did abuse such
substances sought help to stop.
The program is a two-week program providing education in regards to the effects tobacco
has on a persons body over time and will provide activities for teens to participate in after
school. These sessions will provide information on the long-term effects of smoking such as
lung cancer, the effects on the bones, how it can affect the participation in sports and how it
affects appearance. The program will also focus on the long-term effects such as high blood

pressure, heart disease, different forms of cancer, mental health problems, and stroke and
digestive problems. A Healthier U will provide educational opportunities for teens to help their
peers. It will also provide counseling to those who abuse these substances. Recreational
activities and skill development will also be the focus to help provide other options for after
school.
Alcohol, tobacco and a variety of different drugs are the majority of the substances that
are abused by our teens. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol is
the substance that is used most frequently with 39 percent of high school seniors. The good
news is that the use of smoking has decreased in the last few years unfortunately; there has been
an increase in the use of e-cigarettes and hookah use. Research has shown that exposure to
nicotine during adolescence may increase the risk of nicotine abuse later in life. The program
will also help to develop young teens skills in working with the government. It will provide
opportunities for growth in the community to continue to educate their peers and how they can
affect change within the local government.
Beginning in September, A Healthier U programs will be offered in public and private
schools throughout Tarrant County. School programs will also work closely with local health
departments and YMCA locations in help provide education and recreational activities. The
health department will also provide programs for those youth who chose to quit and need help.
For more information on how to enroll your teen in A Healthier U, contact Janet Rogers
at jrogers77@liberty.edu.

Appendix 2

References:

1. Viner, R. Ozer E. Denny S. Marmot M. Resnick M Fatusi A. Currie C. Adolescence and the
social determinants of health. The Lancet, 2012; 379(1641-52).

2. Substance abuse. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Retrieved from
http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/substance-abuse/alcohol.html.
Retrieved September 2, 2015.

3. Chan G. Kelly A. Toumbourou J. Hemphill S. Young R. Haynes M. Catalano R. Predicting

steep escalations in alcohol use over the teenage years: age-related variations in key
social influences. Addiction Research Report. 2013. 108: 1924-332.

4. Viner R. Ozer E. Denny S. Marmot M. Resnick M. Fatusi A. Currie C. Adolescence and the
social determinants of health. Lancet 2012. 379: 1641-52.

5. Tobacco, nicotine, and e-cigarettes. Retrieved from https://teens.drugabuse.gov/drugfacts/tobacco-nicotine-e-cigarettes. Retrieved September 13, 2015.

6. Torres O, Tejeda H. Natividad L ODell L. Enhanced vulnerability to the rewarding effects

of nicotine during the adolescent period of development. Pharmacology, Biochemistry
and Behavior, 2008. 90:658-663.
7. Principles of adolescent substance use disorder treatment: A research based guide. National

Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved from

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-adolescent-substance-use-disordertreatment-research-based-guide/introduction. Retrieved October 14, 2015.

8. Making health communication programs work. U.S Department of Health & Human
Services. National Institutes of Health, and National Cancer Institute. Retrieved from
http://www.cancer.gov/publications/health-communication/pink-book.pdf