Health Policy Research Northwest, commissioned by Lane County Health & Human Services, conducted focus group reports in 2011 to determine community perceptions and awareness of 2) youth gambling and 2) the Prevention Program itself.

1. Prevention Program Perceptions and
Attitudes:
A Community Outreach Campaign in Lane
County, Oregon
Click to edit Master title style
December 21, 2011
Amanda Cobb & Jessica Matthiesen
www.hprnw.org

2. Background
• Overall goal:
– Gauge community
perceptions, assess attitudes towards
the prevention topics and current
resources
2

3. Background
• Two areas of focus (two sets of focus groups):
– Childhood gambling (parents)
• Current prevention resources
• Identify opportunities to expand services
• Identify ways to provide education to
families
– Community coalitions (public)
• Perceptions of department/needs
• Identify opportunities to
expand/collaborate
• Assess community readiness to create or
expand
3

4. Methods
• Six focus groups, intercept surveys
on both topics
• Eugene/Springfield, Cottage
Grove, Florence
• Questions adapted from similar
research, approved by Lane County
• Recruited at community
centers, direct calls to community
agencies
4

5. Methods
General public, agency leaders and parents who responded to an
intercept survey or participated in a focus group in Lane County
Site Date (N=109), 2011 Participants Forum
Type
Cottage Grove 6/29/2011 Community 3 Focus Grp
Cottage Grove 6/29/2011 Community 14 Intercept Svy
Eug/Spgfld 6/27/2011 Community 9 Intercept Svy
Eug/Spgfld 6/28/2011 Community 22 Intercept Svy
Eug/Spgfld 7/1/2011 Community 4 Focus Grp
Florence 7/1/2011 Community 3 Focus Grp
Florence 7/1/2011 Community 7 Intercept Svy
Cottage Grove 6/29/2011 Parent 10 Intercept Svy
Cottage Grove 7/7/2011 Parent 3 Intercept Svy
Eug/Spgfld 6/25/2011 Parent 3 Focus Grp
Eug/Spgfld 6/29/2011 Parent 11 Intercept Svy
Eug/Spgfld 7/1/2011 Parent 5 Focus Grp
Eug/Spgfld 7/1/2011 Parent 8 Intercept Svy
Florence 7/7/2011 Parent 7 Intercept Svy
5

6. Focus Groups
• Small (10 participants or less)
• 90 minutes allotted
• Demographics survey required
6

7. Intercept Surveys
• Surveys for both coalition interest
and childhood gambling
• Conducted in busy public areas
• Given to one to two individuals at a
time
• Discussion facilitated similar to
focus groups
• Included demographics survey
7

8. Focus Groups &
Intercept Surveys
• Both sparked discussion between
participants
• Non-verbal cues noted
• Surveys aggregated and searched
for themes
• Focus groups transcribed
• Both incentivized
8

9. Community Perceptions of
Prevention Department and
Prevention Needs

10. Demographic
Representation
• 62 participants
• (57%) Eugene and Springfield, 27%
Cottage Grove, 16% Florence
10

11. Demographic Representation
General public and agency leaders who responded to an intercept
survey or participated in a focus group in Lane County (N=62), 2011.
Number of County
Demographic
Participants Percent of Sample Percentages in
Characteristic
(N=62) 2010
Location* (n=62)
Eugene/Springfield 35 56.5% 89.7%
Cottage Grove 17 27.4% 6.2%
Florence 10 16.1% 3.8%
Age*€ (n=60)
18-39 years 19 31.7% 33.3%
40-64 years 35 58.3% 48.8%
65 or older 6 10.0% 17.9%
Gender* (n=57)
Male 21 36.8% 49.0%
Female 36 63.2% 51.0%
* US Census Bureau, 2010.
€ County percentages in 2010 adjusted for comparability to project population.
11

12. Demographic Representation
General public and agency leaders who responded to an
intercept survey or participated in a focus group in Lane County
Demographic (N=62), 2011. Percent of
Number of County Percentages
Characteristic Participants (N=62) Sample in 2010
Employment Status∞ (n=59)
Employed Full-time 22 37.3% --
Employed Part-time 15 25.4% --
Unemployed 18 30.5% 11.4%
Full-time Parent 4 6.8% --
Educational Attainment£ (n=60)
Less than high school 1 1.7% 10.0%
High school 9 15.0% 25.8%
Some college or technical 20 33.3% 36.9%
school
College graduate 17 28.3% 16.3%
Post-college 13 21.7% 11.0%
∞ U.S. Department of Employment, 2011
£ US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2010
12

13. Interest in Coalition Involvement
Lane County general public and agency leaders’
interest in prevention activities (N=62), 2011.
100%
9 10 Missing
90%
80% 20 Not interested
46 59
70%
All of the topics
60%
20
50% 18 50 Suicide Prevention only
17
40%
9 18
30% Problem Gambling only
6
20% 29 6 20
Mental Health
10% 24 Promotion only
17 10
0% Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Eugene/ Springfield Cottage Grove Florence Prevention only
n=35 n=17 n=10
13

14. Coalition Involvement Preferences
Lane County general public and agency leaders’ interest in
prevention activities (N=62), 2011.
100% 6 6 10 Missing
90% 18 20
29
6 Prefer not to be involved
80% 40
20 18
70% Other method
29 40
60%
35 Social networking site
50%
40
40% 37 Receive a newsletter
30% 35
14 50 Stay updated via email
20% 20
12 Attend a virtual meeting
10% 40 online
23 18
0% Attend a public forum
Eugene/ Cottage Grove Florence Attend a quarterly meeting
Springfield n=17 n=10
n=35
14

15. Focus Groups and
Intercept Surveys -
Community
• Knowledge of the Prevention
Program
• Thoughts on the severity of specific
health problems in Lane County
• Ideas on how to involve the general
public and agency leaders in
community coalitions
15

16. Public Perceptions
• Majority of participants not familiar
with Lane County Prevention Program
• Those that were familiar knew of
efforts to:
– Help low income families
– Teach people to live healthy lives
– Provide online services
– Provide pamphlets on suicide prevention
and Healthy Babies, Healthy
Communities
16

17. Community Needs
• Eugene/Springfield:
– Alcohol and drug abuse
– Mental health
– Suicide
• Cottage Grove
– Alcohol and drug abuse
– Mental Health
• Florence:
– Alcohol and drug abuse
• 60% of all respondents felt gambling was not
a problem
17

18. Community Needs
• Eugene/Springfield
– Increase services available
– More outreach/build awareness
– More counseling services
– Centralized phone number for crises
18

19. Community Needs
• Cottage Grove:
– Local community services for youth
– Counseling and mentoring
– Increased presence of
Eugene/Springfield-based social
services
19

20. Community Needs
• Florence:
– Low-cost activities for youth
– Increase awareness of issues like drug
and alcohol abuse, suicide, gambling
20

21. Prevention Needs
• Drug and alcohol abuse:
– Increased counseling
– Community classes/groups
• Mental health
– Place mental health specialists in
schools
– Lower costs for patients
21

22. Prevention Needs
• Gambling
– Services for money management
– Low/no cost treatment programs
– Increased counseling or mentoring
• Suicide
– Lower mental health treatment costs
– More counseling for parents and
youth
– Increase and support youth activities
22

23. Coalition Activity
• How the Prevention Program can
assist/partner with existing
coalitions:
– Low-cost services (money or grant-
writing assistance)
– Services, facility space, administrative
support
– Training and curriculum assistance
23

24. Coalition Activity
• To organize/lead a coalition:
– Hold face-to-face meetings
– Provide consistent leadership
– Create a clear mission
– Partner on projects with existing
agencies or organizations
24

25. Childhood Gambling

26. Parent Demographics
• 47 parents participated or were
surveyed
– 57% Eugene/Springfield,
– 28% Cottage Grove,
– 15% Florence
26

27. Demographic Representation
Parents who responded to an intercept survey or participated in a focus
group in Lane County (N=47), 2011.
Number of County
Demographic
Participants Percent of Sample Percentages in
Characteristic
(N=47) 2010€
Location* (n=47)
Eugene/Springfield 27 57.4% 89.7%
Cottage Grove 13 27.7% 6.2%
Florence 7 14.9% 3.8%
Gender* (n=46)
Male 15 32.6% 49.0%
Female 31 67.4% 51.0%
Race/Ethnicity* (n=45)
White/Caucasian 39 86.7% 84.7%
Hispanic 4 8.9% 7.4%
Other 2 4.4% --
* US Census Bureau, 2010.
€ County percentages in 2010 adjusted for comparability to project population (18 and older)
27

28. Demographic Representation
Parents who responded to an intercept survey or participated in
a focus group in Lane County (N=47), 2011.
Demographic Number of Percent of County Percentages
Characteristic Participants (N=47) Sample in 2010
Employment Status∞ (n=37)
Employed Full-time 19 51.4% --
Employed Part-time 8 21.6% --
Unemployed 6 16.2% 11.4%
Full-time Parent 4 10.8% --
Educational Attainment£ (n=46)
Less than high school 1 2.2% 10.0%
High school 7 15.2% 25.8%
Some college or technical 16 34.8% 36.9%
school
College graduate 12 26.1% 16.3%
Post-college 10 21.7% 11.0%
∞ U.S. Department of Employment, 2011
£ US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2010
28

29. Childhood Gambling
• Kinds of activities parents would consider gambling
• How common do parents think childhood gambling is
• Do parents have concerns about childhood gambling
• Do parents believe there could be a link between
gambling and other behaviors such as substance
abuse or school absenteeism
• What would parents do/who they would contact if
they thought their child had a problem with gambling
• How would parents discuss gambling with a child
29

30. Childhood Gambling
• What activities are gambling?
– Games where money or goods are
exchanged (cards, fantasy football)
– Bets for no money/goods
– Online games played with virtual
money
– Lottery
30

31. Childhood Gambling
• How common is gambling in
children 9 and older?
– Majority of parents thought it at least
somewhat common
– Many who had never considered the
possibility did not believe their
children gambled or would be
interested in gambling
– Internet makes it easy to gamble
31

32. Childhood Gambling
• How much of a concern is it?
– One in four parents had concerns;
others felt it was a concern, but not
for their own children
– Half of Cottage Grove parents
thought it was of concern
– Less than 20% of Eugene/Springfield
and Florence parents thought it was
of concern
32

33. Childhood Gambling
• The link between gambling and:
– Substance use
– Mental health issues
– Peer pressure and bullying
33

34. Childhood Gambling
• Most parents were unsure:
– How to tell if their child had a
problem
– Where to go for help
– How to talk to their child about
gambling
34

35. Childhood Gambling
• Outreach and education:
– Start talking to children early
– Educate in school assemblies
– Conversations at home, one-on-one
– Parent groups/panels
– Internet/television/radio advertising
– Pre-movie advertising
35

36. Key Findings

37. County-Wide
Recommendations
• Promote and educate on the
Prevention Program’s focus and
services
• Facilitate access to mental health
services in schools
• Consider using intercept surveys in
lieu of focus groups when assessing
public opinion
37

38. Area-Specific
Recommendations
• Dedicate staff to Cottage Grove for
consistent meetings
• Coordinate or partner with
Florence agencies to provide teen
programs
• Provide and/or promote telephone
referral assistance in the
Eugene/Springfield metro area
38

39. Youth Gambling
Recommendations
• Create and distribute information
on:
– How to talk with kids about gambling
– How to monitor online access
• Organize a youth gambling panel to
educate children and raise
awareness
• Look for creative ways to provide
PSAs
39