Community and school drug prevention strategy prevalence: differential effects by setting and substance.
This study used key informant interviews and student survey data in 508 U.S. communities to examine relationships between the prevalence of community and non-classroom-based school substance prevention strategies and teen substance use rates. After controlling for covariates, analyses indicated that: (1) adult-supervised after-school activities were significantly related to lower past 30-day cigarette smoking and both past 30-day alcohol use and binge drinking; (2) unsupervised after-school recreational facilities were significantly associated with both lower past 30-day cigarette smoking and current daily smoking; (3) community activities to reduce substance use were significantly related to lower binge drinking; and (4) student organizations to prevent alcohol abuse were significantly related to lower binge drinking. Communities need a broad spectrum of strategies to address variation in substance use among youth. EDITORS' STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS: Policymakers at the school, community, state, and federal levels will benefit from knowing that after-school activities for teens typically result in reliable (though often modest) reductions in substance use in this large national sample. This is a strategy that works, but the effects are likely to vary by setting, level of supervision, substance, and program implementation.
Institute for Prevention of Addictions, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan 49104-0211, USA. vanderwa@andrews.edu
Curtis J
CJ
VanderWaal
Lisa M
LM
Powell
Yvonne M
YM
Terry-McElrath
Yanjun
Y
Bao
Brian R
BR
Flay
D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018672:Community Health Planning; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D015995:Prevalence; D011322:Primary Prevention; D016730:Program Development; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014481:United States