Track Two: Hot topics in health education
Keynote Presentation
Good Drugs Gone Bad
Jason Weber, officer, Town of Menasha Police Department
When people hear the words drug abuse, marijuana, cocaine and other street drugs come to mind. We typically don’t think of the medicine in our homes. The abuse of pharmaceuticals is the fastest growing drug threat in the United States and ranks second only to marijuana as the most abused drug. Prescription drug abuse poses a unique challenge to schools and communities for many reasons: lack of knowledge about the abuse and dangers, a belief among users that the drugs are a “safe” way to get “high,” and easy access to these drugs at home and from friends. This training program provides a comprehensive approach to address, educate, and implement strategies in reducing and preventing the abuse of pharmaceuticals.
Sectional Presentations
Participants will attend two of the following presentations:
When Sex is the Subject: Answering Difficult Questions in and about Human Growth and Development
Lori Stern, education consultant for HIV Prevention and Safe and Supportive Schools, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
This interactive session will enable participants to gain a new level of comfort in answering difficult student questions about sexuality and sexual health. We will work through a ‘values questions’ protocol using questions participants have actually received. Some time in this session will also be spent answering questions related to the Wisconsin Human Growth and Development law passed in 2012.
Connectedness and its Influence on Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Consumption
Emily Whitney, assistant professor, Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, UW-La Crosse
Adolescents who are connected to friends, family or schools tend to be less likely to participate in an array of risky behaviors such as underage alcohol consumption. Participants in this session will learn about the various types of connectedness and how they impact adolescents as well as the theoretical frameworks that contribute to connectedness as a protective factor. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to generate ideas for fostering connectedness in a variety of settings.
Gambling with the Future: Adolescents and Alcohol
Chris Wardlow, prevention specialist, ThedaCare/Catalpa Health
About 5,000 people under the age of 21 die each year from alcohol-related injuries involving underage drinking, and an average of 362 individuals in this age group visit an emergency room each day as a result of alcohol use alone. In this session, Wardlow will focus on the risk factors that contribute to these high numbers and on interventions that have proven to be effective in preventing and reducing underage drinking.
Challenges to Offering Healthy Meals and Promoting Nutrition in the School Environment
Peggy West, food service director, Oshkosh Area School District
In December 2012, President Obama signed into law the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. This law forced the US Department of Agriculture to impose new menu guidelines in Child Nutrition Programs to ensure that schools were working toward decreasing the rate of obesity among children while still ensuring that they do not go hungry. Learn about these new guidelines and their challenges, including budgetary constraints, peer influences, home influences and food availability.
