Purpose: Alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs use typically increases in prevalence and frequency during middle and late adolescence. School health instruction often focusses on providing facts and rarely provides tools for addressing the psychosocial risk factors needed to prevent substance use. The purpose of this paper is to report about…

This article presents results from a study that evaluated an online message system designed to improve the delivery of prevention programs. We conducted a quasi-experimental study with 32 agencies and schools that implemented substance use prevention programs and examined differences between the comparison and intervention groups. We also examined…

Purpose: To be effective, evidence-based programs should be delivered as prescribed. This suggests that adaptations that deviate from intervention goals may limit a program's effectiveness. This study aims to examine the impact that number and quality of adaptations have on substance use outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: The authors examined…

Drug prevention efforts in elementary schools are widespread. Nonetheless, there are clear challenges that both researchers and practitioners face. Because there may be occasional unintended negative outcomes--statistically these are guaranteed--does not mean all prevention efforts should grind to a halt. It is far better that any observed…

We examine whether teachers' communicator style relates to student engagement, teacher-student relationships, student perceptions of teacher immediacy, as well as observer ratings of delivery skills during the implementation of All Stars, a middle school-based substance use prevention program. Data from 48 teachers who taught All Stars up to 3…

Classroom behavior management interventions have been used successfully with drug prevention programs to prevent subsequent antisocial behavior and substance use among youth. This article presents results from implementation of the All Stars Challenge, a classroom-based behavior management component to a drug prevention program for fifth graders.…

The purpose of this study was to extend the literature in both substance use implementation and persuasive health communication by examining the extent to which students' need for cognition and impulsive decision-making moderated the relationship between teachers' classroom communication behavior and program outcomes in an evidence-based middle…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the topics covered by coaches assisting teachers implementing a research-based drug prevention program and explore how coaching affects student outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: The All Stars drug prevention curriculum is implemented by 16 urban teachers who received four coaching sessions.…

Research-based substance use prevention curricula typically yield small effects when implemented by school teachers under real-world conditions. Using a randomized controlled trial, the authors examined whether expert coaching improves the effectiveness of the All Stars prevention curriculum. Although a positive effect on students' cigarette use…

Compares potential for twelve psychosocial variables to act as change agents in substance use prevention programs. Students (grades 6-11) were surveyed during a two-year longitudinal study. A model of psychosocial influences was used to predict subsequent alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use. Structural equation modeling revealed the factor Drug…

Describes a study that examined the effectiveness of a tobacco and alcohol prevention program delivered to sixth and seventh grade students by minimally trained classroom teachers. Results indicated that the program reduced the onset and prevalence of tobacco use but not alcohol use. (JOW)

This paper reviews the state-of-the-art in program evaluation for substance abuse prevention efforts. Included in this review is a discussion of approaches to process, outcome, and impact evaluation. Evaluation designs are reviewed with attention given to topics such as recruitment and retention of sites and participants, defining interventions,…

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an observation measure designed to capture teachers' use of interactive teaching skills within the delivery of the All Stars substance use prevention program. Coders counted the number of times teachers praised and encouraged students, accepted and used students' ideas, asked questions,…

Among preadolescents, use of "gateway" substances (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana) is rare. By high school, most students have normally established habits of use or nonuse. Because the occurrence of first and experimental use is most frequent during the years around puberty, programs targeting sixth and seventh grades seem most promising.…

Tested three alcohol use prevention curricula, one focused on teaching social pressure resistance skills, one focused on solidifying conservative group norms, and one focused on increasing student understanding of consequences of using alcohol. Results from fifth- and seventh-grade students confirmed that each program had differential effect on…