NEW YORK, Oct. 5 – MetLife Foundation is starting the next phase of its award-winning parenting skills campaign, airing drug-prevention messages created in cooperation with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America on radio stations in 18 markets nationwide through November.

The campaign features radio messages that stress to parents the importance of staying informed about the changing drug landscape facing their children today.  Research from the latest Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) shows that many teens are more knowledgeable than their parents are about drugs – especially about the abuse of emerging drugs, such as methamphetamine and the abuse of both prescription (Rx) and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. 

PATS data report that an alarming number of teenagers are intentionally abusing a variety of Rx and OTC medications to get high. Approximately one in five teenagers has already abused a prescription painkiller to get high, and one in 11 has abused OTC products, like cough medicine. These medications have become increasingly more accessible to teens, in some cases directly via the internet, and generally are more prevalent in their teen’s lives than parents realize. 

Since research from the Partnership also shows that kids who learn a lot about the risks of drugs at home are half as likely as their peers to try or use drugs, the radio messages also promote a free brochure for parents, “Your Child Needs You!: A Guide To Help Your Child Lead a Healthy Drug-Free Life.” The brochure includes information on the dangers of illicit drug use and serves as a resource to help parents prevent drug use among their children.

“By talking to kids about the dangers of drug use, parents can help keep them drug free,” said Sibyl Jacobson, president, MetLife Foundation.  “The campaign reinforces the influence that parents can have by providing them with the tools they need to help their children make the right choices, while underscoring the risks of drug use.”

“Parents dramatically underestimate the likelihood that their child or their child’s friends will use drugs,” said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership. “It is crucial that parents educate themselves about new and dangerous drugs that their children may become acquainted with.  We want to help parents take that next step and make sure they communicate a lot about the risks of drugs to their children. Parents can make a difference in helping their children make the right choices.”

As part of the campaign, messages in English will air on radio stations in New York, Albany, Utica/Rome, Atlanta, Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit, Hartford, Providence, San Diego, San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa, Tulsa and Wilkes-Barre.  In Los Angeles and Miami, the messages will air in English and Spanish.

“MetLife Foundation’s continued support of this parenting skills campaign exemplifies their strong commitment to substance-abuse prevention by helping reach out to parents to protect their kids from the dangers of drugs,” said Pasierb. “Through this campaign, MetLife Foundation is making an important contribution to promoting healthy lives and drug-free living for families.”

In addition to the radio messages, the campaign supports the parents/caregivers section of the Partnership’s Web site (www.drugfree.org).  Visitors can find tips and resources there to help them keep their kids drug free, along with access to advice and support from drug-prevention experts.

Visitors to drugfree.org also can download copies of the brochure “Your Child Needs You! A Guide To Help Your Child Lead a Healthy Drug-Free Life,” available in English, Spanish and Chinese versions.  The free brochure is also available at from the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 800-729-6686.

MetLife Foundation’s multimedia parenting skills campaign received the 2002 Gold Wilmer Shields Rich Award for Excellence in Communications from the Council on Foundations and the Communications Network. 
  

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MetLife Foundation has contributed almost $17 million in support of substance-abuse prevention initiatives.  In 1983, the Foundation funded “The Chemical People,” a national campaign to combat school-age alcohol and drug abuse that combined public television with grass-roots outreach efforts.  The Foundation also provided support for several film series on substance abuse education for elementary and middle schools.  Since 1999, the Foundation has collaborated with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America® on a national ad campaign emphasizing the importance of effective parenting skills in substance abuse prevention for young children.  MetLife Foundation, established in 1976 by MetLife, contributes to health, education, civic and cultural programs throughout the United States.  For more information about the Foundation, please visit the Web site at www.metlife.org.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America® is a private, non-profit coalition of professionals from the communications industry.  Best known for its national, drug-education advertising campaign, the Partnership’s mission is to reduce illicit drug use in America.  The Partnership’s State/City Alliance Program supports the Partnership’s mission at the local level.  The Partnership receives major funding from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and financial support from more than 200 private sector corporations.  The Partnership accepts no money from alcohol or tobacco manufacturers. All actors in the Partnership’s ads appear pro bono through the generosity of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.