This study examined the perceptions of 207 elected peer leaders in a seventh grade smoking prevention program and in a chemical abuse prevention program. Peer leaders' assessments of the adequacy of their training, the programs' components, the programs' influence on behavior and attitudes, and the programs' efficacy were analyzed. (Author/MT)

This study sought to clarify parents' role in the initiation of alcohol use of young adolescents. Findings indicated that parent norms were directly related to adolescents' alcohol-related cognition, and thereby had a significant indirect relationship with teenagers' alcohol use. No significant differences were found between intervention and…

Describes peer leadership components within a community-wide trial to prevent alcohol use and related youth problems. Seventh and eighth graders could be elected or volunteer as peer leaders. Surveys indicated that at baseline, both types of leaders had fewer problem behaviors than non-peer leaders. Following the 7th-grade curriculum, alcohol use…

Cross-sectional study compares psychosocial factors associated with alcohol use among sixth- and eighth-grade White and American-Indian students. Risk factors were largely similar. Alcohol use rates were higher for American-Indian students, suggesting that prevention may need to begin earlier. (EMK)

The Minnesota Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Plus project augmented the DARE curriculum with community, parent involvement, and extracurricular activity components. Of the 24 schools in the DARE Plus project, the 8 receiving the DARE Plus intervention are examined in this study. The association of participation in the extracurricular…