Studies from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention have concluded that prevention is an important step to curb underage drinking.
That’s why Summit County Health, Summit Support and Parents Empowered plan to launch an initiative called the Path to Prevention with an event called Every Step Counts, scheduled from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, at the Park City Ice Arena, said Pamella Bello, Summit County Health director of prevention.
“The event is free, and people can drop in and leave at any time,” she said. “There will be free ice skating for the kids and a food truck. And we’ll set up tables with activities for the kids and information for parents.”
The information will be about the Prevention Path, a concept conceived by Summit County Health and Parents Empowered, a Utah-based media and community-education campaign that strives to “have every Utah child reach the age of 21 alcohol free,” Bello said.
“We have a coalition that works on prevention in Summit County, and we received a grant that gave us some hours with the Parents Empowered to develop an underage drinking prevention campaign just for Summit County,” she said. “A group of us got together, and we came up with this idea of Every Step Counts.”
Every Step Counts encourages parents to have conversations with their children in an effort to prevent underage drinking, according to Bello.
“We know if parents take time to have conversations with their kids, it builds trust and strengthens the relationships,” she said. “We know kids who feel close to their parents are more likely to listen when parents set rules.”
The program also includes paths of footprints that will be installed inside various buildings in Coalville, Kamas and Park City, Bello said.
“These footpaths will be found in places like Wasatch Pediatrics, Park City Library, The Market, the Ice Rink, county buildings and on buses,” she said. “These footpaths contain conversation starters and tips for parents. So if parents and kids see them, they can start their conversations about underage drinking. And there will also be QR codes on the footpaths for parents to scan for additional tips.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests parents start talking to their kids about underage drinking and drug use when they are age 9, Bello said.
“They suggest age 9 because by age 13 the kids have already made up their minds of what they think about alcohol and drug use,” she said.
Bello knows some parents have a hard time talking with their children about these and other sensitive topics.
“So, what I tell parents is if they don’t talk to their kids, someone else will,” she said. “I think parents would want their kids to hear things from them because they can then talk about some of the rules in their houses.”
Bello also said it’s never too late for parents to start these conversations with their children, even if they are older than 9.
“It’s better to have these conversations than not have them,” she said. “And sometimes that means going into their children’s worlds — playing video games and learning about other interests.”
Sometimes all it takes is asking a question about a TV commercial or something they see at the grocery store, Bello said.
“That way parents can find out where their kids are in regards to these things, and they can meet them at that spot to start those conversations,” she said.
In early 2025, Summit County Health conducted a survey with local students in sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th grades, Bello said.
“We found that 20.6% of all the kids who took the survey have tried alcohol at least once in their lifetime, and kids who used alcohol regularly in the past 30 days was 10.7%,” she said. “So, we have a lot of kids trying or using alcohol in our community. And although we’re not that different from other places in the United States, we want to do something about it.”
Every Step Counts: Join the Prevention Path
- When: 1-3 p.m. Sunday, April 26
- Where: Park City ice Arena, 600 Gillmor Wy.
- Cost: Free
- Web: summitsupport.org/events