Schools are a critical setting to promote healthy youth development through the provision of evidence-based programs (EBPs), yet preventive EBPs in schools are underutilized. The Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework highlights numerous factors that may influence program adoption during the Exploration phase and…

Prevention science has now encompassed decades of research exploring risk and protective factors and effective programs for the prevention and treatment of childhood behavioral, emotional, and developmental concerns. This paper shares our experience over the last 40 years as program developers and researchers in responding to contemporary needs…

Adolescence is a critical period for developing risk behaviors such as substance use, which can impact health in adulthood. Culturally adapted evidence-based programs (EBPs) are promising for prevention. This review explores the processes for culturally adapting EBPs targeting alcohol, tobacco, or cannabis use, and/or anxiety or depression in…

Parenting programs aim to improve parenting quality, which may, in turn, support various aspects of child development, including behavior and mental health. However, parenting interventions show considerable heterogeneity in response patterns across different families, demonstrating that they are not one-size-fits-all programs. This variability…

It is difficult for consumers to access the evidence base for prevention programs to determine which models or practices have the strongest empirical support for improving youth social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) outcomes within their specific service contexts. Researchers can address this evidence-to-practice gap through innovations in…

The effectiveness of school-based universal prevention programs is frequently diminished due to low-quality implementation. Organizational factors support high-quality implementation because of their broad influence across implementers. Conceptually, implementation leadership (i.e., behaviors that prioritize, reward, and support evidence-based…

Diabetes is a significant population health threat. Evidence-based interventions, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Diabetes Prevention Program and diabetes self-management education and support programs, can help prevent, delay, or manage the disease. However, participation is suboptimal, especially among…

The goal of creating evidence-based programs is to scale them at sufficient breadth to support population-level improvements in critical outcomes. However, this promise is challenging to fulfill. One of the biggest issues for the field is the reduction in effect sizes seen when a program is taken to scale. This paper discusses an economic…

This study aimed to examine the efficacy of school-based e-cigarette preventive interventions via a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane, and clinical trial registries for studies published between January 2000 and June 2023 using keywords for e-cigarettes, adolescents, and school. Of…

Cost analyses are used to determine overall costs of implementing evidence-based programming and may help decision makers determine how best to allocate finite resources. Child sexual abuse (CSA), regularly viewed as a human rights violation, is also a public health concern estimated to impact 27% of females and 5% of males by age 18. Universal,…

Children who engage in aggressive behaviors are at heightened risk of being involved in the justice system, committing serious offenses, and becoming chronic offenders. The Stop Now And Plan (SNAP) program was designed as an early intervention to address several mechanisms underlying the development of conduct problems, including emotion…

The development of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for the prevention of behavioral health problems is well supported. However, limited data exist on the sustainability of EBIs once initial support has ceased. The current study assessed, at 2 years after initial start-up support: (1) What percent of schools sustained EBI implementation? (2) To…

HPV vaccination rates remain below target levels among adolescents in the United States, which is particularly concerning in safety-net populations with persistent disparities in HPV-associated cancer burden. Perspectives on evidence-based strategies (EBS) for HPV vaccination among key implementation participants, internal and external to clinics,…

Background: Effective implementation strategies are needed to enhance the success of evidence-based prevention programs. The current study evaluates the effects of two implementation strategies on teachers' implementation of an evidenced-based HIV intervention. Methods: Using our 7-item pre-implementation school screening tool, we identified…

Schools offer an advantageous setting for the prevention, early identification, and treatment of mental health problems for youth. However, school mental health (SMH) services are typically not based on evidence for effectiveness, nor are they efficiently delivered, with SMH practitioners (SMHPs) able to only treat a small number of students in…