3161.0: Monday, November 13, 2000: 4:30 PM-6:00 PM

School-Based Substance Use Prevention: The State of the Nation

Over the last three decades the US has invested an extraordinary level of resources in the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use in school settings. Despite an emerging consensus among researchers concerning effective substance use prevention programs, many of the nation’s middle schools persist in implementing ineffective curricula such as DARE. In this session we present results of the recently completed “School-based Substance Use Prevention Programs Study,” supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). This study surveyed 2,680 lead ATOD prevention teachers in a representative sample of the nation’s middle schools, yielding a response rate of 72.4%. The study also surveyed the school district-based Drug-Free Schools (DFS) coordinators responsible for the DFS program in the middle schools sampled. The purpose of this session is to describe the prevalence of current prevention-related activities, assess their relative value, and determine the characteristics associated with schools that have adopted and implemented effective prevention strategies, relative to those that have not. During this session we will examine strategies and resources devoted to prevention both within and outside the classroom, as well as teachers’ views on the relative effectiveness of these strategies and resources. We will also explore the use of drug testing as a substance use prevention strategy. We will conclude with recommendations for identifying effective prevention strategies and mechanisms by which to disseminate information concerning them to school personnel
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement.
Learning Objectives: Refer to the individual abstracts for learning objectives
Moderator(s):Christopher L. Ringwalt, DrPH, MSW
4:30 PMEstimation of effectiveness of current practice in school substance use prevention programming through application of meta-analysis findings
Susan T. Ennett, PhD, MSPH, Christopher L. Ringwalt, DrPH, MSW, Nancy S. Tobler, PhD, Amy A. Vincus, MPH, Steven C. Burritt, BA
4:48 PMIs drug testing an emerging substance use prevention strategy in middle schools?
Amy A. Vincus, MPH, Ashley Paige Simons, BA, Christopher L. Ringwalt, DrPH, MSW, Susan T. Ennett, PhD, MSPH
5:06 PMSchool-based substance use prevention activities outside the classroom
Ashley Paige Simons, BA, Judy M. Thorne, PhD, Amy A. Vincus, MPH, Christopher L. Ringwalt, DrPH, MSW, Susan T. Ennett, PhD, MSPH
5:24 PMUse of effective substance use prevention curricula in middle schools
Christopher L. Ringwalt, DrPH, MSW, Susan T. Ennett, PhD, MSPH, Amy A. Vincus, MPH
5:42 PMDiscussion
Sponsor:Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs
Cosponsors:Community Health Planning and Policy Development; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Caucus of Public Health Workers

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA