HSC 402 Applied Concepts of Community Health Education
Ashley Athanas
Ingrid Serna
Daisy Martinez
Jessica Vo
Carlos Sanchez
California State University, Long Beach
Journey to Recovery at CSULB
Writing Sample
1. Problem Justification & Needs Assessment (Writing Sample)
2. Program Goal and Objectives
3. Key Informant Interview
4. Implementation Plan
5. Scope of Work
6. Marketing Strategies with Logo
7. Evaluation
8. Budget Justification
Journey to Recovery at CSULB
Problem Justification & Needs Assessment
College students often face many sources peer pressures and daily stresses, which often
leads them to making a multitude of wrong decisions. Most commonly, these decisions involve
alcohol abuse. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, millions of people go into
treatment for illicit drug or alcohol abuse (NIDA, 2011). With many individuals seeking for help,
there is a need to implement a comprehensive rehabilitation program that can provide both
prevention and rehabilitation services. Our priority population for our program includes college
students between the ages of 18-25 who are currently enrolled at California State University,
Long Beach. We want to target this specific population due to the high amount of abuse in
alcohol within the college campus. Research shows that college campuses that have a prominent
fraternity, sorority or athletic teams are more likely to consume excessive alcohol (College
Parents of America, 2006).
Alcohol abuse among college students has increased throughout the years. While many
students think drinking alcohol is “cool” and “fun” while in college, there have been many
negative consequences that come with alcohol abuse. Some examples of negative consequences
can be assault, sexual assault, suicide, driving under the influence and even death. The National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2015) has said that throughout the years students
have died between the ages of 18-24 due to alcohol associated injuries such as driving under the
influence. (NIAAA, 2015). The need for this program is high among college student because of
these very serious negative effects. Not only are there negative consequences but there are also
many factors that can contribute to alcohol abuse. These can include their socioeconomic status,
cultural settings, social and family environment.
Public health organizations including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and
National Institute of Health have concluded that alcohol abuse through heavy drinking or binge
drinking can result in problems with health, relationships, and productivity. Heavy drinking
involves consuming more than 15 drinks or more per week for men and 8 or more drinks for
women (CDC, 2016). Studies also show that physical illness or disability caused by alcohol
includes cancer, liver disease, heart disease, and birth defects. Current relevant information from
the LA County Department of Public health includes that the annual economic cost of alcohol
use in Los Angeles County is $11 billion. Almost twenty percent of adults in Los Angeles
County report binge drinking once per month (LADPH, 2004). According to the National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking constitutes four drinks for women
and five drinks for men, within a span of 2 hours (NIAAA, n.d.). Around four percent of adults
report heavy drinking. Heavy drinking is defined by five or more days of binge drinking within
the past month (NIAAA, n.d.).
Alcohol related illness has caused over one thousand deaths and over twenty-five
thousand hospitalizations in Los Angeles County. There were around forty thousand arrests for
drunk driving in 2007 (Cite). Low-income neighborhoods may have increased risky behaviors.
Communities in Los Angeles contain a high density of restaurants, bars or stores selling alcohol,
which leads to likely higher rates of violence. Current methods towards controlling or preventing
alcohol abuse include restricting the accessibility of alcohol to minors, decreasing exposure to
advertising, ensuring lawful serving practices, providing alcohol education to the youth and
improving access to substance abuse services such as Alcoholics Anonymous and other public
health organizations.
Alcohol abuse among college students is global issue, which results in binge drinking,
hazardous drinking, and heavy drinking. According to the National Council on Alcoholism and
Drug Dependence Incorporation, college students drink alcohol, whether it’s locally, regional, or
national, to escape their family problems or issues such as school or other personal events
(NIAAA, 2015). The World Health Organization states, sixty percent alcohol abuse (globally)
caused problems such as loneliness, depression, low self-esteem, and other forms of mental
health illness. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism states that roughly an
estimated 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 to 24 have been killed by unintentional
motor vehicle accidents in the United States alone (NIAAA, 2015). Hispanic college students
along the US/Mexico border have shown 59 percent of students have reported consuming
alcohol in the past 30 days with males having consumed more than females. According to their
analysis, Hispanic students who were less oriented with the Anglo culture were linked to
increased alcohol consumption.
College student alcohol abuse is an excessive form of alcohol consumption and every
country, based on population, has different sets of per-capita on alcohol consumption and health
risks. For example, in 2012, 5.9 percent of global deaths, 7.6 percent for men and 4.0 percent for
women, were the cause of alcohol consumption. Globally, in the age group 20-39, approximately
25% of total deaths were caused by alcohol consumption (NIAAA, 2015). Overall, more than
20% of college students meet the criteria of developing Alcohol Use Disorder, and 1 out 4
college students (globally) that drink report academic consequences/failure such as missing class,
doing poorly on exams/papers, and failing a course(Cite).
Alcohol consumption, when abused, can have detrimental, and even fatal consequences.
Because alcohol use is very common among college individuals, it raises a monumental concern
in our communities. It not only affects the person abusing alcohol, but the people in their
surroundings as well. Substance abuse is prevalent among individuals in ages 18 and 25, or
young adults. There are many factors that affect student drinking, such as limited involvement
with parents or guardians, easy access and availability of alcohol within and outside college
campuses(citation). Some colleges or universities provide access to alcohol in specific locations
like restaurants within the campus, CSU Long Beach being one of them. Alcohol abuse is a
leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and in Los Angeles County, along, it
takes the lives of 2,500 individuals per year, most of these deaths (75 percent) are attributed to
men (LA County Department of Public Health, 2011).
Compared to other drugs, alcohol is the prominent cause of death in teenagers. According
to the Foundation for a Drug Free World, young individuals are 7.5 times more likely to use
other illegal drugs than those who do not consume alcohol (2017). Binge drinking, and heavy
drinking is prevalent among males and young adults; it is also common in white males and
people with higher socioeconomic status (LACDPH, 2011). Whether on-site or not, communities
that have a higher alcohol outlet density showed higher rates of violent crime.
The subgroups of our population for susceptibility to alcohol abuse can be broken down
into different genders, race/ethnicities, ages and background status. Other subgroups of CSULB
college students can include socioeconomic status. In Los Angeles County 38% of male adults
and 16% of female adults engage in binge drinking. Regarding racial subgroups, 40% of Latinos,
23% of Whites, 25% of African Americans, and 22% of Asian/Pacific Islanders binge drink.
Over 10% of ages 18 and up binge drink ([Link], 2001). According to these
statistics from public health organizations, subgroups, Latinos and males, have the greatest need
in LA County. Nonetheless, most of college students, regardless of age or ethnicity, fall
susceptible to alcohol abuse due to exposure to campus parties and social drinking.
Currently, LA County programs to address alcohol abuse among college students include
ATOD (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs) at CSULB, Alcoholics Anonymous throughout LA
County, Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Promises Treatment Center and
many more. Furthermore, social media programs and educational commercials promote
prevention of alcohol abuse on college campuses. Many of these programs have been
implemented for years and have effectively addressed the needs of college students in the past.
According to NSDUH (National Survey of Drug Use and Health), the percentage of 18- to 22-
year- old college students who reported binge drinking remained relatively stable from 2002 (44
percent) to 2010 (44 percent) (SAMHSA 2011). Among 18- to 22-year-olds not enrolled in
college, the percentage who engaged in binge drinking decreased significantly from 2002 (39
percent) to 2010 (36 percent). Therefore, the needs of college students have not been effectively
addressed in the past. Therefore, we want to implement our program on college campuses to
reduce the rates of alcohol abuse.
References
Brecht, M.-L. (2014, June). Patterns and Trends in Drug Abuse in Los Angeles County,
California: 2013. Retrieved from Drug Abuse,
[Link]
CDC. (2017, January 24). Data and maps. Retrieved from Alcohol and Public
Health, [Link]
College Parents of America. (2006). Students Statistics on Alcohol Consumption and Abuse.
Retrieved from [Link]
consumption-and-abuse/
International statistics. (2017). In Foundation for a Drug Free World. Retrieved from
[Link]
LA County Department of Public Health - Substance Abuse Prevention and Control. (n.d.).
Retrieved from [Link]
(2016, October 26). Retrieved from [Link]
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2011). Treatment statistics. Retrieved from
[Link]
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2015). College drinking. Retrieved from
[Link]
Reducing alcohol-related harms in Los Angeles County: A cities and communities report.
(2011). In Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Office of Health
Assessment and Epidemiology. Retrieved from
[Link]
