WASHINGTON
WE CAN 2000

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In Washington State, underage drinking, high risk alcohol consumption, and drug use have been perennial problems on college campuses. The Prevention and Wellness Services office at Western Washington University analyzed data collected from between 1992 and 1997, and found that high risk alcohol consumption had remained relatively constant at 34 percent during that time. Alarmingly, the perception among students is that the use of alcohol and other drugs is both widespread and normal behavior.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the WE CAN 2000 campaign is to reduce alcohol use and eliminate other drug use at Western Washington University. This goal is to be accomplished through the following objectives:

• Correcting student misconceptions of alcohol and other drug use norms
• Increasing student awareness of the academic and health consequences of alcohol abuse and other drug use
• Limiting student access, and restricting the availability of alcohol and other drugs to students
• Promoting self-regulatory behavior

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
In 1998, the Prevention and Wellness Services office at Western Washington University initiated the WE CAN 2000 campaign. The office's primary strategy was to shift efforts from the more traditional alcohol information campaign, to a social norms marketing program.

The Prevention and Wellness Services office's WE CAN 2000 social norms marketing program consisted of an advertising campaign that featured information on student alcohol use. The ads pictured students with whom the target audience could identify and provided information on what constitutes "one drink." The ads also provided credible sources for the data listed within the text of the poster. Examples include:

• One ad read, "Most (73%) Western students have 4 or fewer drinks when they party." The accompanying picture showed three students seated and smiling
• Another poster read, "Most (84%) Western students have 0,1,2,3 or at the most 4 drinks when they party," featuring two happy coeds

The ads, which were market tested with a minimum of 100 students were placed in the student newspaper, on campus bulletin boards, and in residence halls

RESULTS
Following implementation of the WE CAN 2000 social norms-based social marketing campaign, data revealed significant results:

• Statistics indicated a reduction of 20 percent in high risk consumption rates (from 34 percent in 1997 to 27 percent in 1998)
• The percentage of students who perceived other students as drinking heavily once a week or more decreased from 89 percent in 1997 to 45 percent in 1998

Prevention and Wellness Services has determined that social norms marketing holds promise as a primary prevention strategy to reduce the risk associated with heavy episodic drinking. By correcting the perception of what "most" students do, WE CAN 2000 supports "moderate, health-enhancing behaviors" and confronts and denies the perception that "heavy drinking is the norm for everyone."

SUMMER 2000