ERIC Number: EJ1459939
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2325-5226
Available Date: 0000-00-00
An Evaluation of Health Rocks! with a Control Group
Dan Wang; Yunqi Wang; Maria R. de Guzman; Yan R. Xia; Kieu-Anh T. Do; Zhenqiao Yang
Journal of Human Sciences & Extension, v12 n3 2024
Youth substance use challenges their health and well-being. There is research and practical need for rigorous evaluation of substance use prevention programs in prompting positive youth development. This study examined the program effectiveness of Health Rocks!, a youth substance use prevention program, with a quasi-experimental two-factor mixed evaluation design. We gathered data from 584 participants (i.e., 475 youth in the treatment group and 109 youth in the control group) and conducted paired-sample t-tests for each group to compare youth substance use-related outcomes before and after the training. Results showed that youth in the treatment group reported significant increases in substance use knowledge, perceived support, and assets to make healthy life decisions, whereas the youth in the control group showed no significant differences in these outcomes. These findings, consistent with previous evaluations, highlight program effectiveness and the continued use of post-then-pre-evaluations in practice.
Descriptors: Youth Programs, Substance Abuse, Health Programs, Program Effectiveness, Program Evaluation, Youth, Outcomes of Education, Outcomes of Treatment, Health Behavior, Well Being, Individual Development
School of Human Sciences, Mississippi State University. PO Box 9745, Mississippi State, MS 39762. Tel: 662-325-6861; Fax: 662-325-8188; e-mail: jhse@ext.msstate.edu; Web site: https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/jhse/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A