Department of Health Presents Conference on Reducing Underage Drinking

Underage drinking by adolescents is a significant threat to the health and safety of our children. As part of our commitment both to raise public awareness of alcohol use by children from 9 - 18 years old and to promote effective interventions, the Department of Health is convening a one day conference on "Reducing Underage Drinking" on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 from 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. at the Radisson Prince Kuhio Hotel.

Mrs. Vicky Cayetano, Hawaii's First Lady, and co-chair of the national First Spouse Leadership to Keep Our Children Alcohol Free Initiative, will open the conference with an overview of the problem of underage drinking

The conference will feature national and Hawaii experts on the issue of underage drinking. It will include presentations by Penny Norton, M.A., Founder & CEO – FACE Truth and Clarity on Alcohol who will focus on key strategies for raising awareness and taking action at the community level will be identified. Dr. Samantha Walker from the Prevention Research Center in Berkeley, California will speak on "The Implications of Outlet Densities for Youth Alcohol Use and Related Problems".

One of the nation's leading researchers on adolescent brain development, Dr. Sandra Brown from the University of California, San Diego, will speak on "Alcohol and Adolescent Brain Development". Dr. Ralph Hingson from Boston University School of Public Health, a leading expert on why the drinking age should remain at 21 years will do a presentation on "Consequences and Prevention of Early Drinking Onset".

Dr. Jay Maddock from the University of Hawaii School of Medicine will present the results of a Hawaii Parent Focus Group on messages that are effective with parents. Jim Crowley, M.A., President of Community Intervention, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota will present "The Parent Connection: Strategies to Reach Parents of Alcohol-Using Teens".

The conference will also include a panel of Hawaii youth experts as well as presentations from youth recovering from alcohol problems. A panel of Hawaii law enforcement and liquor control professionals will present strategies currently being used to address the issue of underage drinking.

"While there is no doubt that underage drinking is an extremely serious problem," states Dr. Bruce S. Anderson, Director of Health, " it is also a problem that we can begin to deal with. Many effective strategies to be shared at the conference, can be adopted to prevent underage alcohol use".

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