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PrintPress Releases: 2002
CASA 2002 SURVEY: FAMILY DINNERS PROTECT KIDS FROM SUBSTANCE ABUSE
CASA 2002 SURVEY: FAMILY DINNERS PROTECT KIDS FROM SUBSTANCE ABUSE
CASA URGES ALL AMERICANS TO CELEBRATE
FAMILY DAY: A DAY TO EAT DINNER WITH YOUR CHILDREN
Fourth Monday in September – 23rd in 2002
NEW YORK – Teens who eat dinner with their family six to seven times a week are at almost half the risk of substance abuse as teens who eat dinner with family twice a week or less, according to the The 2002 National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse VII: Teens, Parents and Siblings, released by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. For this reason, CASA urges all Americans to celebrate the second annual Family Day: A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children on the fourth Monday of September, the 23rd in 2002.
The survey also found that as teens get older, they are less likely to have dinner with their family. This is especially troubling because teen risk of substance abuse increases by almost 500 percent between the ages of 12 and 16. It is in these “dangerous years” that most teens who use alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana initiate their use. Only 37 percent of teens in grade twelve eat family dinners, compared to 58 percent of children in grade eight, according to the 2002 survey. Since 1996, CASA’s national teen survey has found that the more often children eat dinner with their family, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use illegal drugs.
“For all the parents who believe their kids aren’t listening to them, this survey is an inspiration,” says Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA president and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. “Parent-power is the most potent and underutilized tool for preventing substance abuse. It’s just as powerful and important in the high school years as it is in the early years, so put it to work with your kids by making family dinners a regular part of life.”
President Bush and the governors of 32 states are proclaiming September 23 Family Day, a symbolic reminder to parents of the importance of dinners with their children as a natural and comfortable way of communicating with them.
“I applaud President Bush and the governors for recognizing the importance of family dinners and encouraging all Americans to put family first,” says Califano.
This year, The Coca-Cola Company has become the first national corporate sponsor of Family Day. Other new national sponsors include the AFL-CIO, National PTA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, Publix Super Markets Inc. and Viacom Outdoor.
“I want to express my appreciation to Coca-Cola for their sponsorship of Family Day and for their commitment to the families and children of this country, as well as all the national sponsors of Family Day,” says Califano.
CASA has teamed up with state and local public officials, schools, clergy and others to promote the importance of family dinners. CASA encourages employers to let their employees off an hour early on Family Day so they can cook dinner with their children, schools to cancel after-school activities and homework, and restaurants to offer discounts on take-out or in-restaurant family dining.
The governors of the following 32 states and Washington, D.C. have already issued proclamations declaring September 23rd, 2002, Family Day: Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. The governors of the following 8 states have told CASA they will issue Family Day proclamations: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts and Missouri. We expect more states to follow in the near future.
Additional information, including parenting guides, can be found at www.casacolumbia.org.
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University is the only national organization that brings together under one roof all the professional disciplines needed to study and combat all types of substance abuse as they affect all aspects of society. CASA's missions are to: inform Americans of the economic and social costs of substance abuse and its impact on their lives; assess what works in prevention, treatment and law enforcement; encourage every individual and institution to take responsibility to combat substance abuse and addiction; provide those on the front lines with tools they need to succeed; and remove the stigma of substance abuse and replace shame and despair with hope.
With a staff of 74 professionals, CASA has conducted demonstration projects in 60 sites in 32 cities and 21 states focused on children, families and schools, and has been testing the effectiveness of drug and alcohol treatment, monitoring 15,000 individuals in more than 200 programs and five drug courts in 26 states.