Time to Talk

The Time to Talk website is at the centre of PDFA's strategy for supporting parent/child communication around a health issue that is often understood to be challenging for children - as well as parents - to broach. By creating an online community of those seeking help to connect with their kids, PDFA hopes to provide the online and offline tools caregivers need to initiate and sustain difficult conversations, as well as to encourage them in doing so by helping parents feel less "alone" in the anxiety they may experience at the prospect of such dialogues.

Specifically, Time to Talk provides parents with practical tips, tools, and information, such as How to Tell If Your Teen is Drinking or Using Drugs, Tips for Getting the Conversation Started, Answering the Question: "Did You Do Drugs?", and How to Help Your Kid Turn Down Drugs. In addition, they may access an online parent forum that enables parents to share experiences and connect with other parents facing similar situations. A national toll-free call centre is designed to serve as another source for those in need of support.

The Partnership launched the campaign with nationally televised public service announcements (PSAs) and print/banner publicity, along with promotions on the knowledge-sharing community called "Yahoo! Answers". To detail the latter element, celebrities lent their voices to this use of information and communication technology (ICT) to engage parents in the campaign. For example, Mary Hart from the television programme "Entertainment Tonight" (herself a mother) posed a parent-oriented question on Yahoo! Answers, as did addiction medicine specialist (and celebrity) "Dr. Drew". The question that this father of 3 posed was "How do you turn media publicity about celebrities with drug problems into teachable moments for your kids?"; parents were encouraged to visit Yahoo! Answers to respond by sharing their insights online. Also, Dr. Drew partnered with the music television network VH1 to create a 30-second PSA about substance abuse and how treatment can be effective through hard work and the support of family and friends. The PSA began airing on VH1 in January 2008 during the premiere of Dr. Drew's 8-episode series "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew", which chronicles Dr. Drew's drug and alcohol treatment of several celebrities.

PDFA has also encouraged well-known political figures to help raise awareness about the campaign, in part through use of the mass media. For instance, the campaign was the subject of the Delaware State News editorial "A Wake-Up Call to Parents" by Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. This piece was designed to educate parents about the serious and life-threatening consequences of an often overlooked form of
substance abuse: the non-medical use of over-the-counter and prescription drugs, and to encourage them to discuss this problem with their children. In the article, Biden describes a recently passed Senate resolution he wrote that declared August "National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month." It calls on community leaders to equip parents with the tools they need to "to reengage in discussions with our youth and dispel the notion that just because a pill is in a prescription bottle, it's safe - in any dose." One of the resources to which he directs readers is the Time to Talk website.

In addition to enlisting the support of well-known personnel who are themselves parents, PDFA forged strategic alliances with youth and parent-serving organisations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, YMCA of the USA, the National PTA [Parent-Teacher Association], National Association of School Nurses, and Dads & Daughters. These partners reportedly promoted Time To Talk to over 32 million members, volunteers, and staff in local communities across the nation. The American Pharmacists Association also pledged to spread the Time to Talk message.

Youth, Health.

According to a PDFA study, nearly one in five teens reported abusing prescription medications to get high, and one in ten teens reported abusing cough medicine to get high. In 2004, more than 6% of persons aged 12 or older reported non-medical use of prescription-type drugs, far surpassing use rates of cocaine (2.4%) and heroin (0.2%).

PDFA research shows that kids who consistently learn about the risks of substance use/abuse (of all kinds) from their parents are 50% less likely to use drugs and alcohol than those who do not. However, only 30% of teens report learning a lot from their parents. Perhaps this finding can be explained by additional data from the 2006 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), which showed that: nearly one-third of parents say they have a need for more information about drugs; 37% reported they want information on how to tell if a child is using drugs; and 30% say they need tips on how to start a discussion about drugs. The 2006 PATS survey also identifies a decline in the frequency of discussions between parents and their teens about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse; 55% of parents had 4 or more discussions with their kids about these issues in 2005, compared to 49% in 2006.