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…

Objectives: Significant others can play a key role in suicide prevention, but little attention has been given to the resources they may need in order to do so effectively. Based on previous qualitative research and working in partnership with suicide prevention charities, we developed a simple educational leaflet to help family members and friends…

This summary reports the findings from two cluster-randomised trials of Drinkaware's school-based In:tuition life skills and alcohol education intervention: one trial of the programme for 10-11 year olds in primary schools, and another for 12-13 year olds in secondary schools. The trials have been carried out by the National Foundation for…

Athletes can be involved as role models and leaders--in collaboration with coaches and other staff--to enhance life skills and prevent substance use among their peers. "Drugs in Sport" is a peer education program involving collegiate athletes visiting middle schools to speak with school children. This article discusses the structure of the Drugs…

One approach in HIV prevention programming targeting youth is to use peer leaders in what is referred to as peer education programming. This paper critically reviews and synthesizes the results and lessons learned from 24 evaluated peer-led programs with an HIV/AIDS risk reduction component that target youth in the communities where they live and…

Most school-based drug abuse prevention programs comprise five categories, stressing knowledge change, attitude change, knowledge and attitude change, peer relationships, or drug use alternatives. Peer programs seem most effective. Programs often fail because of unrealistic expectations, wasted energy, program weakness, lack of creativity, failure…

The current study is a formative evaluation of an integrated, school-based program for urban minority youth transitioning into high school. The design of this pilot project was quasi-experimental in nature, with one freshman physical education class assigned to receive the intervention and one to receive no program or "treatment as usual." The…

Participants were college fraternity men (N=155) who were in either a pretested and posttested rape-prevention program, a posttested rape-prevention program, or an untreated control group. Significant declines in rape myth acceptance and behavioral intent to rape were shown among program participants regardless of whether they were pretested.…

Examines whether peer-led drug prevention programs are preferable to adult-led programs for students (N=2,447) in eighth through eleventh grades. Results show that all input measures and outcome measures were perceived as more positive in the peer-led model. Since the differences found were small this study does not prove with certainty that the…

Objective: A school-based nutrition education minimal intervention (MI) was evaluated. Design: The design was experimental, with random assignment at the school level. Setting: Seven schools were randomly assigned as experimental, and 7 as delayed-treatment. Participants: The experimental group included 551 teens, and the delayed treatment group…

There is increasing interest among policymakers and practitioners in tapping the potential of family, friends, volunteers, peer support groups, and mutual aid organizations to help prevent violence. The popularity of these informal social support (ISS) interventions stems, in part, from their flexibility, responsiveness to individual needs, and…

DARE is a preventive drug education program intended to combat drug use by students before it commences. The elementary school program is the core curriculum of DARE. It is designed to help those enrolled to develop skills that will allow them to resist the pressures to use substances such as illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Students are taught…

This report examines five programs that use peer support groups as the key element of their prevention or intervention efforts in preventing or reducing the incidence of substance abuse, school failure, and other problems of adolescence. Chapter 1 provides introductory material. Chapter 2 contains background information on the peer program…

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 number of adolescents with AIDS and the number of young adults diagnosed with AIDS who were infected with HIV during adolescence continues to grow at alarming rates. This report evaluates a program that included staff development, mandated HIV/AIDS education for children in kindergarten through grade 12, and a peer leadership component that…