Evidence-Based Programs Keep Kids Away From Drugs and Alcohol

SUNDAY, June 2, 2002 (HealthDayNews) -- If you want your kids to learn just how bad drugs, alcohol and tobacco can be, quote Jack Webb: "Just the facts, Ma'am."

Scientifically designed programs based on evidence of what's most effective at prevention are more successful at keeping children from using tobacco, alcohol and drugs than other programs, says a new study presented this weekend at the annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Research.

One reason those programs are more successful is that many of the teachers using them have been specifically trained to teach them, and they work at schools where staff have a positive attitude about making a difference, say researchers.

The national study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation involved analyzing how teachers and schools discourage middle school students from substance abuse. It included a questionnaire to 1,905 middle school teachers to find out which programs they used in the classroom and how they implemented them.

The study found about 25 percent of the teachers used evidence-based programs as opposed to off-the-shelf programs that may not have been evaluated or proven effective. None of the other programs came close to that percentage, the researchers said.

Effective substance abuse programs for children include those that emphasize knowledge about social influences and refusal skills and use interactive teaching methods such as role-playing.

More information

This site is called For Kids Only, a drug and alcohol information center, created by The National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information.