Drug Prevention in High Schools: All Stars, Sr.

DESCRIPTION (Provided by applicant): Existing high school drug abuse prevention programs primarily target youths who already have defined drug use problems. Effective research-based prevention programs that target a universal audience are not yet widely available. This Phase II project will continue the development of All Stars, Sr., a program to improve mediating processes important to late onset prevention and self-initiated cessation. Mediators targeted include: lifestyle incongruence, normative beliefs about the prevalence and acceptability of drugs, commitment to avoid high-risk behaviors, resistance skills, beliefs about social and psychological consequences, goal setting, decision making, and stress management skills. The program is designed to augment (rather than replace) existing high school health textbooks. Materials consist of a teacherts guide containing detailed lessons and a student wellness journal. Results from Phase I support the approach taken and provide a guide for program modification and improvement. During Phase II, additional written activities and new online teacher and student materials will be developed. A randomized field trial will be conducted. Health teachers in twenty schools will be assigned to either treatment or control conditions. Students will be measured at four points in time over a two-year period to assess changes in mediators and the prevalence and frequency of substance use. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: Drug use continues to be a serious problem in the country. The US Department of Education is expected to increase funding for effective prevention programs during the coming years. We are increasingly being asked to provide follow-up sessions for the middle school All Stars programs. There is a relative lack of universal prevention programming available for high schools. The increasing need and lack of viable alternatives suggests this project will result in a product that will have excellent market potential.