Healthcare professionals and individuals underutilize substance use screenings, driving exploration of innovative approaches like virtual agent-guided screening. This study assessed the virtual counselor app's equivalence to in-person evaluation for substance use screening. Participants also completed a user experience questionnaire and a…

LifeSkills Training is the only program to prevent substance use disorder among adolescents that has evidence of effects on substance use outcomes from multiple randomized controlled trials. Evaluations have shown that the version for middle school students reduces their use of substances in high school, but these studies were conducted in the…

The study investigates the effectiveness and appropriateness of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Keepin' it REAL (KiR) curriculum--America's most prevalent in-school prevention programme--using a modified systematic review procedure as adapted from the Cochrane Handbook. No published studies research the D.A.R.E. version of KiR, and…

One approach some U.S. schools now use to combat high rates of adolescent substance use is school-based mandatory-random student drug testing (MRSDT). Under MRSDT, students and their parents sign consent forms agreeing to the students' participation in random drug testing as a condition of participating in athletics and other school-sponsored…

To help assess the effects of school-based random drug testing programs, the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) contracted with RMC Research Corporation and Mathematica Policy Research to conduct an experimental evaluation of the Mandatory-Random Student Drug Testing (MRSDT) programs in 36 high schools within…

Despite a decade-long decline in substance use among adolescents, research tells that about 80 percent of teens have begun to drink alcohol and 50 percent have used an illegal drug by their senior year in high school. Substance use among teens is related to poorer outcomes for adolescents and youth (e.g., unintentional injuries, homicides and…

In spring 1996, Drug Strategies, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization published results of an evaluation of 47 substance-abuse prevention programs. The evaluation used criteria based on empirical research findings. This article outlines the elements of effective drug-prevention programs and highlights the six programs that earned As in…

The goal of DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is not to completely eliminate the drug and alcohol problems of society. It is a proactive prevention program designed to equip youth (focusing on elementary school) with skills for resisting peer pressure to experiment with drugs, and to manage anger without resorting to violence or the use of…

The Wake County Public School System used Alcohol and Drug Defense Program (ADD) federal funds in 1994-95 to reduce the impact of drugs and alcohol on the system's 12 high schools by implementing a Student Assistance Program (SAP). SAP provides intervention and support for students identified as being at risk of substance abuse because of academic…

This report provides information about the use of Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Program grants by rural school districts. The study used a telephone survey to obtain information from a representative sample of the nation's 8,913 rural school districts. In addition, 20 judgmentally selected rural districts were visited in 10 states.…

A drug prevention program involving 167 at-risk students in grades 8-10 at 9 Ontario schools resulted in reduced use of and less supportive attitudes toward alcohol, cannabis, tobacco, and tranquilizers. Program success is attributed to high attendance and retention, community health professionals' participation, comprehensive approach, strong…

This study evaluates the first year of a novel HIV and substance use prevention program for inner city youth (Offering New Youth eXperiences--ONYX). Baseline and follow-up measures of knowledge, attitudes, and risk behaviors were administered seven months apart to 441 youth participating in the ONYX program. Youth (n=71) who provided data at both…

The second in a series of annual guides to the literature on alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use among American youth and its prevention, this annotated bibliography for June 1991-June 1992 attempts to bridge the communication gap between practitioners and researchers. This bibliography consists of an indexed collection of 237 references with…

Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) was designed to prevent students' use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs by using trained, uniformed police officers in the classroom. This report examines the effectiveness of DARE in drug use prevention and how this program compares to other prevention programs. The report is organized into four sections…

The effects of a community-based program designed to delay onset and reduce frequency of alcohol and drug use among high-risk youth are evaluated. Implemented in multiple church communities, program components include parent and youth training, early intervention services, and follow-up case management services. Implications for social work are…