 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Kenneth J. Steinman, PhD, MPH, School of Public Health, Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion, Ohio State University, B-215 Starling-Loving Hall, 320 West 10th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-1240, 614/293-3908, steinman.13@osu.edu, Megan B. Nussbaum, MPH, RRT, School of Public Health, The Ohio State University, 320 West 10th Street, Columbus, OH 43210, and Joan Klemek, Franklin County Safe & Drug Free Schools Consortium, 1929 Kenny Road, Suite 120, Columbus, OH 43210.
Despite its questionable effectiveness, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) remains the most popular substance use prevention program in the United States. The popularity of this program, however, has made it difficult to evaluate its effects. The present study describes how DARE proliferated throughout a major metropolitan area during the 1990’s and examines how this proliferation may have limited its effectiveness. The data are from the Primary Prevention Awareness, Attitudes and Use Survey - a triennial census of students in metropolitan Columbus, Ohio from 1991-2000 (n's=61,000+). For analyses the data were stratified into three groups by grade level: 6-8, 9-10 and 11-12. At each wave, students were asked whether they had participated in DARE in elementary or middle school and whether they had smoked cigarettes during the past 30 days. In 1991, about 40% of students at all grades reported having participated in DARE. Participation rates reached nearly 90% for grades 6-10 by 1994 and for grades 11-12 by 1997. At each grade level, participation was associated with lower rates of cigarette use in 1991 and 1994. Among 9-10th graders in 1994, for instance, 25.4% of DARE participants reported smoking versus 31.9% of students who had not participated (X^2(1)=56.10, p<.001, n=17328). From 1997 to 2000, however, program effects were no longer detected among 9-12th graders and were markedly reduced among younger students. The long-term effectiveness of DARE may be inversely related to its popularity. Implications for other substance use prevention programs will be discussed.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Adolescents, Prevention
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.