were riding in the vehicle with the alcohol-impaired driver.

Over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics in 2008. That's less than one percent of the 159 million self- reported episodes of alcohol- impaired driving among U.S. adults each year. Source: Centers for Disease Prevention and Control http://www.nhtsa.gov/PR/NHTSA-16-10

Adults, as well as teens, have been well educated about the hazards of drinking and driving. However, many hold the misconception that driving under the influence of drugs is not as dangerous. Talk with your teens about driving or riding with anyone under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently reported post-mortem test results showing an increase in the level of drug involvement among fatally injured drivers over a five-year period from 2005 to 2009.

According to data compiled by NHTSA, 63 percent of the 21,798 drivers who were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2009 were tested for drugs. Of these, 3,952 tested positive for drug use, representing 18 percent of the total for that year compared to 13 percent for 2005.

The types of drugs for which testing was performed included narcotics, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, cannabinoids, phencyclidines

(PCPs), anabolic steroids and inhalants. The testing included illicit drugs, as well as legally prescribed drugs and over-the- counter medicines.

In addition, 32 people in the U.S. die every day in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol- impaired driver. This amounts to one death every 45 minutes.

In 2008, alcohol-impaired driving crashes accounting for nearly one-third (32%) of all traffic- related deaths in the U.S. Of the 1,347 traffic fatalities among children ages 0 to 14 years, about one out of every six (16%) involved an alcohol-impaired driver. Of the 216 child passengers ages 14 and younger who died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, about half (99)

A year ago, the Health and Wellness Trust Fund funded a cooperative venture between Appalachian State University and East Carolina University to create an online learning module followed by face-to-face trainings about tobacco control. The new resource will be known as “NC Tobacco Free.”

The module and training sessions are primarily intended for middle school teachers who are required to incorporate information about the dangers of tobacco use into the health education curriculum. It also can

be used by other education or public health professionals, and freely shared with students and the community. The curriculum is now available and trainings soon will be scheduled for early 2011.

To register and see what NC Tobacco Free has to offer, go to www.nctobaccofree.org. It takes about four hours to go through the entire online module, but you can work through the material at your own pace. After you have completed the online component you will be invited to participate in face-to-face trainings that will

take place during the first half of 2011. More details regarding this new online resource will be announced in January. For more information, contact Kim Bayha at kim.bayha@ucps.k12.nc.us.

The online module is offered by the NC Comprehensive Health Training Center. Completion of the Moodle units will allow participants to earn 0.4 CEUs, and an additional 0.6 CEUs can be earned at the face-to-face trainings.

Drug Use Among Fatally Injured Drivers Increased Over the Last Five Years

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Younger Users of Marijuana at Higher Risk of Brain Damage

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If You Think Middle School Kids Are Not Drinking, Think Again

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Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention

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Preventing Tobacco Use Through TRU Stories

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Shopping Safety Tips for the Holidays

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TRU Club Teens in Action

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“NC Tobacco Free” Is an Important New Resource for Educators

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 S U P P O R T A N D P R E V E N T I O N

U P C O M I N G O B S E R V A N C E S

• National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month (December)

• No Name-Calling Week (Jan. 24-28)

• National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month (February)

• Through with Chew Week (Feb. 20-26)

• Great American Spit Out (Feb. 24)

• Kick Butts Day (March 23)

The Safety Net The Safety Net The Safety Net

Don Novak, School Security Coordinator Jarrod McCraw, Director Kim Bayha, Tobacco Prevention Specialist Lisa Callaham, Administrative Assistant http://sdfs.ucps.k12.nc.us Laura Grier, Tobacco Free Schools Specialist

P A G E 2 Younger Users of Marijuana at Higher Risk of Brain Damage A recent small study performed by researchers at McLean Hospital in Boston suggests that children who start using marijuana before age 16 are at higher risk of long-term brain damage than those who start later.

The study tested the mental flexibility and focus of 59 young people from Boston, of whom 33 used marijuana. Among those tested, smokers

who began using before age 16 had significantly impaired abilities to perform simple tasks when compared to other users and to non-users.

In addition, users who began smoking marijuana before age 16 consumed three times as much of it each week than did smokers who started using after age 16.

The study reveals that the developing brain is sensitive to

drugs and that there is a direct relationship between early exposure to marijuana and cognitive performance. Staci Gruber, the study's leader, is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and directs the Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Core at McLean Hospital.

Source: The Boston Globe

If You Think Middle Schools Kids Are Not Drinking, Think Again

Dating violence is not about love - it is about power and control. Dating violence involves a pattern of behaviors that one partner uses to try to control the other. These behaviors may include physical and sexual violence and emotional abuse.

Qualities like respect, good communication and honesty are requirements for a healthy relationship. Adolescents who do not recognize these qualities in relationships before they begin to date may have trouble forming healthy, nonviolent relationships with others.

Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention by a dating partner.

Cell phone calls and texting at unimaginable frequency mean constant control day and night.

• Nearly one in four teens in a relationship communicated with their partner via cell phone or texting HOURLY between midnight and 5 am.

• One in three teens say they are text messaged up to 30 times an hour by a partner inquiring where they are, what they are doing, or who they are with.

• 67% of parents whose teens were checked up on 30 times per day on their cell phone did not know this was happening.

Cell phones and the Internet have become weapons of teen

Teen dating violence is not an argument every once in a while, or a bad mood after a bad day. Dating violence is a pattern of violent behavior that someone uses against their partner to cause pain. Did you know:

• By the time they are in high school, 54% of students report dating violence among their peers.

• About one in four teens reports verbal, physical, emotional or sexual violence.

• About one in five teens reports being a victim of emotional abuse.

• About one in five high school girls has been physically or sexually abused

dating abuse. One in four teens in a relationship say they have been called names, harassed or put down by their partner through cell phones and texting.

Many instances of dating violence can be prevented. Adolescence has been characterized as a “window of opportunity,” a time for adolescents to prepare for future relationships by learning healthy relationship skills. That is why adults should talk to adolescents now about the importance of choosing respect and developing healthy relationships. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/ chooserespect/index.html

Fitting in and finding friends are the middle school adolescent’s whole world. What their friends tell them to do guides much of their thinking. Friendships also start to shift, and as youth become more of the people they will be in high school, they choose the kind of friends they will hang out with for years to come. If that crowd has changed or is one you do not trust, now is the time to talk with your pre-teen and pay attention to where he or she goes, and with whom.

All of the following incidents occurred recently at middle schools in the U.S.:

In Santa Rosa, CA, the school year ended with four students expelled for possessing and distributing alcohol on school grounds. In Norwalk, CT, 22 students were caught consuming alcohol on school grounds. Allegedly, three of the students were selling alcohol they brought from home disguised in iced tea and Gatorade bottles. In Plaistow, NH, the principal sent a note home to parents telling them only clear bottles could be brought to school. Students were caught with alcohol on school grounds and, because the bottles were

colored, they could not immediately tell the kids were drinking alcohol.

In Rockville, MD, nine students were disciplined after alcohol was brought into the bleachers before the start of school. Know that your child will see drugs and alcohol in middle school and start talking to them about it now. Persist - even if they push you off. Source: Delaying That First Drink, delaythatfirstdrink.blogspot.com/201 0_07_01_archive.html

For tips about talking to your adolescent about alcohol or other drugs, go to

Preventing Tobacco Use Through TRU Stories P A G E 3 S U P P O R T A N D P R E V E N T I O N

The North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF) works to prevent teen tobacco use in North Carolina. The series of television spots in the TRU campaign depicts the serious health consequences of tobacco use.

Along with the support of grassroots activity in local North Carolina

communities, HWTF’s statewide media campaign has helped prevent more than 53,000 teens from using tobacco. A key part to that success is telling real stories of people affected by tobacco. Research tells us that hard-hitting testimonials about the serious health consequences of tobacco use are the most effective way to reach teens.

In the latest round of testimonial TRU television spots, Capstrat, Inc. presents the stories of Justin and Destini. Justin Andrews, a 30-year-old with a wife and young son, decided on his 28th birthday that it was time to quit smoking only to discover six months later that he had waited too long – he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Seventeen- year-old Destini Donaldson lost her father to a battle with lung cancer this past December, and the television ads reveal the pain of having to face the future without her father.

How do we know ads like Justin’s and Destini’s are effective in reaching teens? The most recent evaluation report from researchers at the UNC Chapel Hill Department of Family Medicine’s Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program found that:

• Youth awareness of TRU ads is now at 77%.

• More than 94% of North Carolina youth who had seen the TRU ads reported they were convincing, attention-grabbing and gave good reasons not to smoke.

• More than 30% who had seen the TRU ads reported that they talked to their friends about the ads, indicating high “chat value.”

These statistics show that the TRU campaign is making great progress toward building the first tobacco-free

Meet Justin. He started smoking casually when he was 14. A few months after he quit at age 28, he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. As a high school quarterback, he never thought smoking would hurt him. His story reveals the myth of invincibility that many teens believe. Sadly, Justin’s life was cut short when he lost his battle with cancer on November 24, 2010.

Meet Destini. A high school senior with big dreams. Her smile hides the sadness of having lost her father to lung cancer. Now Destini faces the reality of what smoking can do, and the fears of what might happen if her mother doesn’t quit. Her story reminds teens that tobacco hurts more people than just the person who uses it. The reality of Destini’s loss and her relatability as a teen facing

everyday life without her father hits home with teens in a powerful way. (Update: Destini recently reported that her mother has quit smoking!)

Meet Reena. The 2008 TRU campaign introduced the moving story of Reena, a 29-year-old single mother from Asheville. Reena started smoking at 13, was diagnosed with throat cancer at 21, and had to have her voice box removed in order to survive. Reena’s powerful story is intended to wake people up to the reality that tobacco’s health effects can happen even at younger ages. In addition

to sharing her story through the TRU campaign, Reena currently works with SAVE (Survivors and Victims of Tobacco Empowerment) with the hope that her story will benefit others.

generation in North Carolina.

See for yourself how these powerful stories are shaping the attitudes of North Carolina teens at: http://realityunfiltered.com/TRUtv.aspx.

Source: Capstrat, Inc.

TRU Clubs Want to Know

Several Union County TRU Clubs are collecting stories from within their school communities. Many people have personal stories about how tobacco has affected them or someone they know. The one thing in common is tobacco’s harsh reality. Even if youth have not directly experienced loss or disease, maybe they have a story to tell about why it is important to them to be tobacco free, or the story may be one of a struggle with addiction. Two high school TRU clubs plan to videotape interviews of those willing to share their stories so that these stories can help others. At one high school, the

TRU club is starting a journal to record these stories from teens. In addition, the Union County TRU Advisory Council, a leadership group consisting of one to four teens from each of the 10 high school clubs, plans to tell stories through editorial photography with a Photo Voice project. Stay tuned…

If you have a story to share or want to find out more about TRU clubs, contact Kim Bayha at kim.bayha@ucps.k12.nc.us or Laura Grier at laura.grier@ucps.k12.nc.us.

Shopping Safety Tips for the Holidays from UCPS Security Officer McGee

• Shop with a friend (safety in numbers). • Only carry very small amounts of cash; otherwise, use credit or debit card. • When possible, park in well-lighted areas when shopping or dining. Avoid parking beside panel vans or vehicles that have blacked-out windows or are

windowless. • Always retrieve car keys from purse or pocket before exiting a building; have remote in hand ready for use. • Wear comfortable clothing and shoes (run, baby, run!). • If you find that you are parked in a place that makes you feel unsafe, you can always call mall/store security (that is his/her job). • Always put your packages and gifts in the trunk of your vehicle (out of sight, out of mind). • Waste no time on so-called solicitors…just say, “No!” (it could save your life). • When a stranger comes to your door, treat him as a stranger. Occasionally criminals try to pose as couriers delivering packages (if he is legitimate, he

will understand). • If a man carries a child out unaccompanied by a woman, believe me, he can handle the situation. Don’t be fooled into a “helpless” father situation. • If you leave discarded boxes outside for garbage pickup, break down the boxes so that potential thieves passing by cannot see what the boxes had in

them. • Purchase or obtain a safety whistle or other form of deterrent (mace, pepper spray). • Use your voice if you find yourself in trouble; yell for help as loud as you can. “Causing a scene” is exactly what you want to happen. • Avoid wearing expensive jewelry when shopping. • When visiting public restrooms, use caution and avoid placing your purse or packages on hooks or handles.

http://sdfs.ucps.k12.nc.us

TRU Club Teens in Action

Developmental Asset #9 - Service to Others Young person serves in the community one hour

or more per week. Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets® are common sense, positive

experiences and qualities that help influence choices young people make and help them become caring, responsible adults. www.search-institute.org/assets