New, Bilingual Web Resources Help Hispanic Families Address Teen Drug and Alcohol Use



The Partnership at Drugfree.org announced the launch of new tools, accessible at HablaConTusHijos, for Hispanic parents and families who are struggling to address drug and alcohol abuse by their children. New research from the Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) shows that Hispanic teens are using drugs at alarmingly higher levels when compared to teens from other ethnic groups. About 54% of Hispanic teens reported having used an illicit drug in the past year, versus 42% of African-American and 39% of Caucasian teens. The comprehensive tools at HablaConTusHijos provide effective, yet easy-to-use, resources equipping Hispanic parents and grandparents to take action in preventing teen substance abuse. Clear, understandable content is brought to life with customized checklists, ...

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Web-Based Anti-Smoking Program Targets Hispanic Youth



The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center's free Web-based teen smoking-cessation and prevention program, ASPIRE, now speaks Spanish. ASPIRE (A Smoking Prevention Interactive Experience) aims to prevent middle-school and high-school teens from smoking or help them quit before it becomes a lifelong addiction. The site integrates interactive media, customized messages, graphics, animations and streaming videos. "We've found that participating students are more aware about the dangers of smoking, are making more informed decisions about smoking and are less tempted to start in the first place," said developer Dr. Alexander V. Prokhorov, a professor at MD Anderson. "Removing the language barrier will help tremendously in reaching and educating Hispanic teens, especially those ...

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