Reducing high school athletes' prescription opioids misuse and diversion through the Student Athlete Wellness Portal

The goal of this proposal is to prevent prescription opioid misuse among high school athletes by developing, demonstrating the feasibility, and evaluating the outcomes of an innovative digital intervention. The new program, the Student Athlete Wellness Portal (SAWP), will be a brief, web- and smartphone-based curriculum, and will encourage resistance to cultural influences to misuse prescription opioids by using a strategy drawn from the evidence-based keepin’ it REAL curriculum. This curriculum has demonstrated effects on substance use in middle and high schools and is the most widely disseminated substance use prevention program reaching over 800,000 youth in the US as well as those in 50 other countries. The SAWP will include information about prescription opioids, change norms, and teach athletes to resist influence that encourages misuse. During Phase 1, a mobilized website will be developed that includes video docudramas portraying situations in which athletes refuse offers of prescription opioids. Formative interviews with athletes will elicit stories and experiences with prescription opioids while interviews with coaches, trainers, and school administrators will determine how the SAWP can best be used. In Phase II, we will test the outcome- and cost- effectiveness of the Portal in a randomized clinical trial using a nationally representative sample. The project is lead by Dr. Hecht of REAL Prevention and Dr. Choi of the University of Missouri. REAL Prevention has developed and disseminated effective programs to prevent substance use, reduce risky sexual behaviors, and promote vaccination. These include both face-to-face as well as online curricula. For more information on REAL Prevention and its programs, see real- prevention.com.This Fast-Track SBIR will develop and evaluate a brief, interactive, self-paced, digital intervention to prevent prescription opioid misuse by high school athletes and prepare it for dissemination to youth community organizations and schools. The Student Athlete Wellness Portal will be adapted from the evidence-based keepin’ it REAL curriculum and has the potential for wide impact on youth Prescription Opioid Misuse through implementation by D.A.R.E. and REAL Prevention’s other partners while advancing our understanding of digital prevention strategies.