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Date: November 25, 2024 Mon
Time: 9:09 pm
Time: 9:09 pm
Results for drug prevention programs
2 results foundAuthor: McDonnell, Brian Title: Evaluation of Drug Prevention Communications Project for Young People Summary: This report on the findings of the evaluation of a drug prevention communications project for young people was commissioned by the Partnership Board of the Drugs Communication Team and conducted by researchers at the Centre for Institutional Studies at the University of East London. The research included a survey of young people's drug use and knowledge about drugs (156 young people). Twenty-eight focus groups to assess the effectiveness of the web-site (94 young people), and eight in-depth interviews with professions to obtain their views of the website were completed. Existing research on drug use and websites, and the project's monitoring data was collated and six steering group meetings attended. Details: London: Centre for Institutional Studies, University of East London, 2006. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 30, 2016 at: http://roar.uel.ac.uk/274/ Year: 2006 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://roar.uel.ac.uk/274/ Shelf Number: 139905 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionDrug OffendersDrug Prevention Programs |
Author: Lunghofer, Lisa Title: Evaluation of Friendly PEERsuasion Summary: Study Overview ANILA Consulting Group, Inc. partnered with Girls Inc. to test the effectiveness of their Friendly PEERsuasion program, a prevention program designed to help girls ages 11 to 14 acquire knowledge, skills, and support systems to avoid substance use. A previous evaluation showed promising short-term outcomes but did not address long-term effectiveness. Given that Friendly PEERsuasion is one of the most popular programs among Girls Inc.'s 93 affiliates, the evaluation represented a critical opportunity to determine the effectiveness of the program, which annually reaches approximately 10,000 girls. Description of Friendly PEERsuasion Girls Inc.'s Friendly PEERsuasion is focused on individual and peer-related risk and protective factors related to substance use. The program is designed to help girls ages 11 to 14 acquire knowledge, skills, and support systems to avoid substance use, and consists of 15 hour-long sessions with a trained adult leader. Friendly PEERsuasion uses a combination of adult leadership and peer reinforcement to teach girls to respond critically to messages and social pressures that encourage substance use. Girls learn the short-term and long-term effects of substance abuse, how to recognize media and peer pressures, and skills for making responsible decisions about substance use. Research Questions The goal of work conducted under this grant was to test the effectiveness of existing delinquency prevention, intervention, and intervention programs for girls. As such, this study addressed four key research questions related to the effectiveness of Friendly PEERsuasion: (1) Is Friendly PEERsuasion effective in delaying or reducing girls' use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD)? (2) Is Friendly PEERsuasion effective in changing girls' attitudes toward ATOD use and their associations with peers who use substances? (3) Are demonstrated effects sustained for one year after program completion? and (4) What factors are critical to successful implementation of the program (and its evaluation)? Research Settings and Participants A total of eight Girls Inc. affiliates participated in the study. Two of the original six affiliates and one of the affiliates that served as a replacement dropped out of the study due to challenges recruiting girls to participate. Three additional affiliates subsequently joined the study in order to increase the likelihood of attaining our target sample of 300 girls. Consent and assent forms were collected from a total of 610 girls from these eight affiliates, and these girls were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. Fifty-five percent of these girls (N=343) completed a baseline and at least one follow-up survey and were included in the final data set. Research Design and Methods The first three research questions comprise the outcome evaluation. To answer these questions, an experimental design was implemented in which girls were randomly assigned to either an intervention or a delayed-entry control group. In order to examine use of ATOD, attitudes toward use of ATOD, and association with peers who use substances over time, girls in the intervention and delayed-entry control groups were surveyed at three time points: (1) prior to the intervention group's participation in Friendly PEERsuasion, (2) immediately following the intervention group's participation in the program, and (3) one year following the intervention group's completion of the program. The survey collected information on three outcomes that are tied directly to the Friendly PEERsuasion program: (1) age at first use and past 30 day use of ATOD, (2) attitudes and beliefs about ATOD, and (3) association with peers who use substances. Data collection instruments included two Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) measures to assess the first two outcomes. The CSAP GPRA measure of ATOD use asks youth to report on lifetime and past 30 day use of ATOD, and the measure of attitudes asks youth to report on their perceptions of harm from using substances and their intentions regarding substance use. Questions from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) were used to assess the third outcome, association with peers who use substances. Demographic data and information on the number of program sessions girls attend was also collected. Data were analyzed using a multivariate generalized estimating equation (GEE) in order to account for the correlation of outcomes within individuals (repeated measures over time) and any potential correlation within affiliate site. Logistic models were used to assess dichotomous outcomes, and multinomial (ordinal) models were used for categorical outcomes. A process evaluation was conducted in order to answer the fourth research question. Process data was gathered from Session Assessment Forms, monthly conference calls with Girls Inc. staff, and ongoing conversations with program providers at each of the participating Girls Inc. affiliates. Content analysis was used to analyze these data. Details: McLean, VA: Manila Consulting Group, Inc., 2016. 85p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 8, 2016 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/250126.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/250126.pdf Shelf Number: 145105 Keywords: Delinquency PreventionDrug Prevention Programs Female Juvenile Delinquents |