“Connect, not convince”: Reaching youth cannabis-users with the #KnowWhatImpairedMeans campaign
Author(s): Smith, Fuselli, Cowle
Slidedeck Presentation:
Slidedeck link
Abstract:
Context:
Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are the top cause of unintentional injury deaths for Canadians aged 15 to 24 (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2019). A significant number of young drivers killed in MVCs test positive for drugs and/or alcohol. Canadian youth have one of the highest rates of cannabis use worldwide (World Health Organization, 2016), and use rates among 15 to 24 year-olds are two times higher than adults aged 25 and older (Statistics Canada, 2018). National surveys conducted by Statistics Canada and Health Canada show youth report driving under the influence of cannabis and riding in a vehicle driven by someone who had consumed cannabis. While 16 to 34 year-olds represent 32% of Canda’s population, they represent 61% of fatalities from cannabis-related collisions (Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, 2017). Under Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addicitions Program, Parachute received funding to implement a national awareness campaign to address cannabis-impaired driving among youth.
Objectives:
The key deliverables for the project are to:
1. Create and launch a comprehensive national drug-impaired driving awareness campaign, informed by the target population and evidence-based.
2. Train professionals working in 3-Injury Prevention and road safety on the national campaign, key messages and approach so they can apply them in their own work and communities.
3. Engage youth influencers (e.g., parents, educators) to support them in discussing the issue of drug-impaired driving.
4. Integrate all project elements into Parachute’s annual National Teen Driver Safety Week.
Target Group:
The primary target population is Canadian youth between the ages of 15 and 24. The secondary target population is professionals and influencers (e.g., police, public health, educators) working in the field of road safety, teen driver safety, and cannabis legalization.
Activity(ies):
The #KnowWhatImpairedMeans project centres on a national awareness campaign for youth aged 15 to 24 and learning opportunities for professionals. A baseline pre-intervention survey was conducted on youth knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to cannabis-impaired driving and riding in a vehicle with a cannabis-impaired driver. The survey results were used to target the campaign content to the audience. The campaign is being evaluated using a Theory of Change approach, including a post-intervention survey.
Deliverables:
In order to develop user-informed messaging, Parachute engaged a national youth panel service to conduct baseline assessment of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours in the target population of youth aged 16 to 24. The survey was completed by 1,098 individuals representative of the population in terms of gender and province of residence. Survey findings show that self-reported attitudes and behaviours are linked, and that many youth hold misconceptions about cannabis use and driving. While the majority of respondents do not report driving under the influence, 38% have engaged in risky behaviour related to cannabis use and driving.
Informed by these findings and using appropriate channels for reaching the target audience, #KnowWhatImpairedMeans has resulted in 584,000 social media impressionas, almost 7,000 video views, and 140 link clicks. Knowledge products and learning opportunities have been distributed to 3,081 professionals working in public health, 3-Injury Prevention, road safety and enforcement.
The introduction of cannabis legalization and increase in the availability of products changes the landscape for impaired driving on Canadian roads. Parachute’s project will understand youth knowledge and perceptions to inform them about managing risks related to cannabis and driving, and identify and share best practices with professionals.