Evaluation of a modified prime for life curriculum in central Washington

Prime for Life (PFL) is a national alcohol intervention class provided for individuals who engage in high risk behaviors towards alcohol. College students have been included as a target population for this program, particularly those that have received alcohol violations. The class is structured on The Lifestyle Risk Reduction Model, the science-based curriculum developed by the Prevention Research Institute of Lexington Kentucky. The program has shown significant results in decreasing long term alcohol consumption. At Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, PFL is offered as an 8 hour class. Additional elements of risk reduction strategies not included in the original PFL curriculum have been added to the class to identify the effectiveness of this modified curriculum. Risk reduction strategies have been identified by the National Institutes of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as effective interventions with the college population. Students completed a pre, post and follow-up survey. Univariate and multivariate tests were performed using SPSS Version 13.0. The results indicated that students (N=315) who completed the class with the additional risk reduction strategies demonstrated an increase in knowledge, and a positive change in attitude and behavior. Approximately 60% of students who completed the follow-up (N=105) indicated that their consumption of alcohol had decreased since taking the class. Additional comments and conclusions are discussed about the success of Prime for Life and additional modifications to the program.