News Releases for September 2002
September 19, 2002
For further information, please Contact: Jane Horien, Director Office of the First Lady
(701) 527-1285
First Lady Speaks In Washington D.C.
BISMARCK, N.D. - First Lady Mikey L. Hoeven spoke at a national press conference today, September 19, at the National Press Club, Murrow Room in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Hoeven is a representative of the Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, a national coalition of over 30 First Spouses whose goal is to combat underage drinking in children ages 9-15.
The conference will announce the results of a nationwide opinion leader poll, The Hidden Costs of Childhood Drinking conducted by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free.
The results of a nationwide poll reveals that educators, law enforcement personnel, prevention experts, public health officials and federal and state officials throughout the country are alarmed at the worsening problem of drinking by children ages 9-15 - a problem whose costs to public health, according to respondents, are often hidden from public view. Conducted by the opinion research firm of Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, results from the poll of opinion leaders in urban, suburban and rural areas indicate that nearly three-quarters of those surveyed responded that more children are drinking alcohol at an earlier age compared to ten years ago.
The following key statistics were revealed by the nationwide opinion leader poll, entitled “The Hidden Costs of Childhood Drinking”:
- 78% of respondents said drinking by children is a “very serious” problem in the United States
- 85% indicated that it was either “very easy” or “somewhat easy” for children ages 9-15 to get access to alcohol; and
- 81% indicated that it can cause serious health and emotional problems for children;
- 87% said childhood drinking may create lifelong problems with alcohol.
“Based on these findings, it is clear that we need to protect our children and take on prevention of underage drinking as a national priority,” Hoeven said.
Along with First Lady Hoeven, press conference speakers included Mrs. Mary Easley, First Lady of North Carolina; The Honorable Jack Ford, Mayor of Toledo, Ohio; J. Edward Hill, M.D., Chair of the American Medical Association Board of Trustees; J. Michael McGinnis, M.D., Senior Vice President and Director of the Health Group of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; and Raynard Kington, M.D., Ph.D., Acting Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Full results of the poll findings, including policy recommendations by poll respondents, will be available at www.alcoholfreechildren.org after September 19, 2002.
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