Evaluating the effectiveness of a classroom-based risk reduction program targeting high-risk middle school students

Trained staff members from a local health department in Northern Utah implemented an interactive educational prevention program aimed at high risk youth in 8th and 9th grades. The program is directed at delaying the onset of or preventing the use of tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs, as well as preventing violence and early sexual activity. The program is based on research concerning protective factors, also called mediators, which influence youth behavior. The program emphasizes five main mediators: pro-social ideals, normative beliefs, personal commitment, pro-social bonding, and positive parental/adult attentiveness. The intervention consisted of fourteen, 45 minute sessions of student-facilitator interaction. A one-group pretest/posttest survey design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. A sample of N = 98 participants completed both the pre and post-intervention surveys. Surveys contained items that measured mediators introduced above. Paired t-tests were used to assess the statistical significance of pre to post intervention changes in mean scores observed on 6 subscales. Outcomes of the analysis provide some preliminary evidence for the efficacy of the intervention.