DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION CURRICULUM BASED ON LST MODEL

A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH NEED IS TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THE CURRENT STATE-OF-THE-ART IN TOBACCO, ALCOHOL, AND DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION AND COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CURRICULA WHICH ARE EITHER UNPROVEN OR KNOWN TO BE INEFFECTIVE. THIS PHASE I EFFORT WILL DEVELOP AND TEST COMMERCIALLY VIABLE TOBACCO, ALCOHOL, AND DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION CURRICULUM MATERIALS BASED ON A PREVENTION MODEL CALLED LIFE SKILLS TRAINING (LST) WHICH HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN A NUMBER OF MAJOR STUDIES TO REDUCE TOBACCO, ALCOHOL, AND MARIJUANA USE BY UP TO 83%. THUS, THIS PROJECT WOULD PROVIDE A COMMERICAL APPLICATION OF INFORMATION OBTAINED OVER A DECADE OF PREVENTION RESEARCH. THROUGH A SERIES OF WELL-DEFINED STATES, PREVENTION MATERIALS BASED ON THE LST MODEL WILL BE DEVELOPED, REVIEWED, AND SUBJECTED TO FOCUS GROUP TESTING. RESULTS WILL BE TABULATED AND EVALUATED; REVISIONS BASED ON THESE FINDINGS WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO THE FINAL VERSION OF THE CURRICULUM. THE RESULTING PRODUCT WILL BE AN ATTRACTIVE AND EASY-TO-USE SET OF PREVENTION MATERIALS FOR MIDDLE/JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHICH CAN BE MARKETED TO SCHOOLS IN THE U.S. AND CANADA.