10.14.2008 - 12:29pm ET

(CSRwire) NEW YORK, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MetLife Foundation will begin the next phase of its award-winning parenting skills campaign, airing educational messages created in cooperation with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America(R) on radio stations in 11 markets nationwide through November. The radio campaign is backed by web resources at drugfree.org and a free brochure for parents titled "Your Child Needs You: A Guide to Help Your Child Lead a Healthy, Drug-Free Life."

The campaign features radio messages in English and Spanish, stressing to parents the importance of talking with kids about drugs and alcohol, and staying involved in their children's lives to keep them healthy. Disturbingly, the number of frequent discussions between parents and teens about the risks of drug abuse has decreased significantly at a time when teens are turning to drugs and alcohol to deal with the stresses in their lives.

The 2007 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), a comprehensive annual survey of teen drug use and drug-related attitudes released this August, found that the number one reason teens report for using drugs is to deal with the pressures of school. Of the more than 6,500 teens surveyed, 73 percent reported that "coping with school stress" was a primary reason for teen drug use, while just 7 percent of parents thought teens might use drugs to deal with stress.

The study also found that as kids become teenagers, their parents' need for useful information and help talking about drugs and alcohol peaks. At the very same time, parents' confidence in their ability to influence their teens' decisions about drugs and alcohol begins to wane.

While parents and caregivers may be surprised at these findings, they can help teens manage stress and pressure in healthy ways through open, honest communication. Partnership research continually shows that kids who learn a lot about the risks of drugs at home are up to 50 percent less likely than their peers to use drugs, yet fewer than one-third of teens, just 31 percent, say they are getting that message from their parents.

"Right now in the U.S., there are 32 million families with children at risk of abusing drugs and alcohol," said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership. "Parents are asking for more help and useful tools so they feel better prepared and more comfortable discussing this generation's drug scene. The need has never been greater, and we want to empower parents to communicate in a confident manner that helps their kids make healthy choices for themselves. Parents and caring adults greatly underestimate the powerful influence they have on this issue."

"By talking with teens about the dangers of drug abuse, parents can help them live healthy drug-free lives," said Sibyl Jacobson, president of MetLife Foundation. "This campaign reinforces the influence that parents have on teens and provides much-needed tools to help children make the right choices."

"It is crucial that we help parents understand the threats facing their teens today," said Pasierb. "The MetLife Foundation campaign is an urgent wake-up call to parents that their teen is facing a drug landscape that is vastly different from when they themselves were teens, and backs up that fact with real help and useful resources. MetLife Foundation's continued support of this effective parenting skills campaign exemplifies their commitment to both substance abuse prevention and helping families have brighter futures. MetLife Foundation is making a meaningful contribution to continuing the progress our nation has seen over the past decade in significantly reducing rates of teenage drug and alcohol abuse."

As part of the campaign, messages in English will air on radio stations in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Hartford/New Haven, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Providence, St. Louis and Tampa. In Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York, the radio messages will also air in Spanish.

The radio messages were created pro bono through the Partnership by New York advertising agency Prime Access. The campaign messages encourage parents to overcome their fears about talking with their kids about drugs and alcohol.

In addition to the radio messages, the campaign supports the parents/caregivers section of the Partnership's Web site (http://www.drugfree.org). Visitors can find tips and resources to help keep kids drug and alcohol free, along with access to advice and support from prevention experts.

Visitors to drugfree.org also can download copies of the brochure "Your Child Needs You! A guide to help your child lead a healthy drug-free life," available in English, Spanish and Chinese. The brochure includes information on the dangers of illicit drug use and serves as a resource to help parents prevent drug use among their children and is also available from the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 800-729-6686.

MetLife Foundation's multimedia parenting skills campaign received the 2002 Gold Wilmer Shields Rich Award for Excellence in Communications from the Council on Foundations and the Communications Network.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America is a nonprofit organization that unites parents, renowned scientists and communications professionals to help families raise healthy children. Best known for its research-based national public education programs, the Partnership motivates and equips parents to prevent their children from using drugs and alcohol, and to find help and treatment for family and friends in trouble. The Partnership depends on donations from individuals, corporations, foundations and other contributors. The Partnership thanks SAG/AFTRA, the advertising industry and our media partners for their ongoing generosity in the fight against drug abuse in America.

For over 20 years, MetLife Foundation has provided support for initiatives focusing on substance abuse prevention and education. Since 1999, the Foundation has collaborated with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America on a national public awareness campaign to help parents and caregivers communicate with children about the risks of drug use. MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife to carry on its long-standing tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. For more information about the Foundation, visit http://www.metlife.org.

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