Extension Report

Baldwin County Extension Office

302A Byrne Street

Bay Minette, AL  36507

Telephone (251) 937-7176 or

928-0860/943-5061 ext. 2222

FAX (251) 937-7285

Amanda Outlaw

Regional Extension Agent, Urban

September 6, 2011

Healthy Choices Rock Impact Healthy Lifestyles

Health Literacy has been defined as “The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.” With the Healthy Choices Rock program, which is a grant funded program of the National 4-H Health Rocks initiative, students are recognizing the negative effects drug, alcohol and tobacco use can have among middle school students. Early intervention through educational programs has proven to have a greater impact than later intervention by changing a child’s life path away from problems and toward positive behaviors. In 2010, 3,200 program participants received drug prevention education in Alabama through the Urban Affairs and New Nontraditional Program Unit at Alabama A&M University and our nine urban centers which include Mobile, Morgan, Madison, Colbert/Lauderdale, Tuscaloosa, Houston, Jefferson, Montgomery, and Macon counties. The Mobile County Urban Center serves Baldwin and Mobile County citizens.

Every day the public receives health-related information in many forms and this sometimes leaves them with unanswered questions. Healthcare and public health professionals have the responsibility to ensure that the health information and services they provide are easy to comprehend, accessible, and that audiences are able to understand and apply their recommendations. The goal of Healthy Choices Rock is to make sure that students in elementary, middle and high school have a chance to learn about the consequences of alcohol, tobacco and drug use early so that they can make informed decisions without the undue stress and pressure from their peers and the media.

The National Assessment of Adult Literacy reports that 19% of students that dropout are only able to perform at basic or below-basic levels when presented with prose literacy tasks like reading editorials, news stories, and instructional materials.1 The implications of illiteracy extend outside of the classroom as the student moves into the workforce.  Research shows that a student’s inability to read at a functional level while in school has drastic implications for his or her life in the future. Stronger reading skills contribute to a higher quality of life. Adults and youth who read and can comprehend well are more engaged in their communities and can assist others in their families. Healthy Choices Rock engages students in a way so that they can ask questions as the material is  presented and then take the information they have learned back home to share with parents and siblings.  Over eighty percent of pre/post surveys were returned that indicated that students had been engaged in the learning process and increased their knowledge of illicit drugs, drug abuse and alcohol and tobacco awareness and the prevention of addictions. Healthy Choices Rock can reinforce knowledge learned, help change attitudes and behaviors, refute myths and misconceptions and prompt action.

1 National Adult Literacy Survey, NCES, U.S. Department of Education; courtesy of the Education Statistics Quarterly (Vol. 3, Issue 4, Topic: Lifelong Learning).

Resource: Center for Disease Control and USA Export Center Healthy Communities.

Email address: aoutlaw@aces.edu

Phone: 937-7176 or 943-5061, 928-0860, ext. 2222

Baldwin County Extension Programs are supported by the Baldwin County Commission.

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity educator and employer.