A pilot intervention to increase parent-child communication about alcohol avoidance

Enhancing parent-child communication regarding alcohol use through educatio nal print correspondence is a potentially cost-effective tool in health pro motion. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine whether a series of postcards addressing specific alcohol risk and protective factors, sent to the parents/guardians of preadolescents in two different school settings, i nfluenced parent-child communication regarding alcohol use. Subjects for th is study included parents of participating 6th grade students attending one neighborhood (N=262) and one magnet (bused) (N=388) inner-city school. Par ticipating students were randomly assigned to the intervention or control g roup. Baseline data were collected from students, enabling the intervention to be tailored to students ' individual needs. Parents of students assigne d to the intervention were mailed up to 10 prevention postcards over five w eeks. Parents completed a 10-item telephone survey eight weeks after implem entation of the prevention postcards. The overall parent response rate was 74% (N=478). Results of this pilot intervention found that postcards increa sed parent-child communication regarding alcohol use, but that these effect s differed by school setting and race. Although significant effects were fo und for the intervention group, further analysis revealed that effects were found only for White parents at the magnet school. Discussion of these dif ferences and implications for research and educational programming are prov ided.