Delia Olufokunbi, PhD, Center for Health Service Research & Policy, George Washington University Medical Center, 2021 K Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20006, 202-530-2302, olufokun@gwu.edu

The federal government estimates that three million young Americans ages 12 to 20 have a clinically diagnosable alcohol problem and that 83% do not receive treatment. As a result, their drinking continues to cause physical and psychological harm to themselves, interfere with their education, get them into trouble with the law and have serious consequences for both their families and the communities where they reside.

The Adolescent Problem Drinking Calculator is a simple, online tool that enables community advocates, including public health professionals, to estimate the prevalence and destructive impact of serious alcohol problems among young people at the state and local levels. Supported by extensive background material, it also identifies solutions for improving access to treatment and provides targeted resources for better understanding the unique treatment needs of this underserved population.

Advocates are asked to enter a population of young people in any of four specific age groups. Using data from the National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health, the calculator estimates how many of them are likely to have a serious alcohol problem and how many are likely not to receive treatment. It uses increased risk data from the same survey to estimate how many more young people are likely to have serious problems with drugs other than alcohol; drink and drive; get arrested; require care in hospital emergency rooms; have grades of C or lower; miss school; and use tobacco if their alcohol problems remain untreated.

The Adolescent Problem Drinking Calculator also offers advocates media strategies for reaching other members of the community with this information.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to
• calculate the number of young people in a specific population who have serious alcohol problems;
• assess the specific impact of untreated alcohol problems among young people from a state or local perspective; and
• undertake simple efforts to broaden awareness of the need to improve access to treatment.

Keywords: Advocacy, Adolescent Health

Related Web page: www.alcoholcostcalculator.org/pages/adolescent/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.