State College News, PA
12-06-07
PSU $5.7 million grant to help families and youth avoid substance abuse,
behavior problems
University Park, Pa – Penn State University has received a $5.7 million federal
grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to continue the
development of community partnerships that strengthen families and help young
people avoid substance abuse and behavioral problems.
The new award will support PROSPER – PROmoting School-communityuniversity Partnerships to Enhance Resilience – for an additional five years. The
total award to Penn State and its partner, Iowa State University, is $11.6 million.
Since 2002, in collaboration with Iowa State and through partnerships
established with local communities and assisted by Penn State Extension, the
Penn State Prevention Research Center (PRC) has been conducting research to
promote capable and healthy youths, adults and families. PROSPER seeks to
strengthen families and communities, promote positive youth development, and
reduce youth substance use and other problem behavior – literally helping
families and their communities "prosper" through various intervention methods
recommended by Penn State researchers.
"The rates of youth substance abuse and related problems in both rural and
urban areas continue to be high," said Penn State researcher and PRC Director
Mark Greenberg, who also directs PROSPER. "Although there are now skillbuilding and family strengthening programs proven to address these problems,
they continue to be underutilized. NIDA's ongoing support for our project is an
indication they believe our partnership model is a promising strategy for
supporting the long-term, quality delivery of scientifically validated prevention
programs."
The initial phase of the PROSPER project involved more than 6,000 youth in 14
Pennsylvania communities and more than 6,000 youth in Iowa communities.
Richard Spoth, director of the Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute, and
his team at Iowa State, collaborated with Penn State in implementing the project
in 14 Iowa communities. The PROSPER project has now reached more than
12,000 youths in the two states.
Researchers have shown positive outcomes from the first phase of the project
through a number of studies published in professional journals, documenting
improvements in family functioning and lower levels of adolescent substance use
where programs have been delivered. Their results also have shown effective
community partnership mobilization, successful local recruitment of community
families for the program, high-quality delivery of validated prevention programs,
and successful community fund-raising to sustain the community programs.
"PROSPER can make a difference in the lives of Pennsylvania youth, families
and communities," Greenberg said. "The project helps give families and youth
the skills to promote the development of young people into healthy adults."
PROSPER is intended to be a model for a national network of partnerships,
Greenberg added. The project also will examine ways to sustain the local
programs after grant funding has ended.
"Children and youth are our nation's most valuable resource," said Daney
Jackson, Director of Penn State Cooperative Extension. "Unfortunately, a
significant number are at risk because of substance use and other social
problems. Schools alone can't solve these complex problems. What can make a
difference are partnerships involving university Extension staff, schools, families
and other concerned local citizens -- like the ones we have established through
this program."
Graham Spanier, president of Penn State, said, “I consider PROSPER to be a
very innovative project that is bringing together research faculty and extension
staff to show the true engagement of the university with schools and
communities."
The leaders of the PROSPER project in Pennsylvania are Dr. Mark Greenberg,
PRC Director; Dr. Mark Feinberg and Dr. Janet Welsh, PRC Research
Associates; and Dr. Daniel Perkins and Dr. Claudia Mincemoyer, College of
Agricultural Sciences.