title: The effectiveness of a school-based substance abuse prevention program: EU-Dap cluster randomised controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness of the school-based drug abuse prevention program developed in the EU-Dap study (EUropean Drug Abuse Prevention trial) in preventing the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs at the post-test.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial. Seven European countries participated in the study; 170 schools (7079 pupils 12-14 years of age) were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions or to a control condition during the school year 2004/2005. A pre-test survey assessing past and current substance use was conducted before the implementation of the program. The program consisted in 12-hour class-based curriculum based on a comprehensive social-influence approach. A post-test survey was carried out in all participating schools, 3 months after the end of the program. The association between program condition and change in substance use at post-test was expressed as adjusted Prevalence Odds Ratio (POR), estimated by multilevel regression model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Program effects were found for daily cigarette smoking (POR=0.70; 0.52-0.94) and episodes of drunkenness in the past 30 days (POR=0.72; 0.58-0.90 for at least one episode, POR=0.69; 0.48-0.99 for three or more episodes), while effects on Cannabis use in the past 30 days were of marginal statistical significance (POR=0.77; 0.60-1.00). The curriculum was successful in preventing baseline non-smokers or sporadic smokers from moving onto daily smoking, but it was not effective in helping baseline daily smokers to reduce or stop smoking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  School curricula based on a comprehensive social-influence model may delay progression to daily smoking and episodes of drunkenness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine-Avogadro University, Novara, Italy. fabrizio.faggiano@med.unipmn.it
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Faggiano
authors.forename: Maria Rosaria
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Galanti
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bohrn
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Burkhart
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vigna-Taglianti
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cuomo
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fabiani
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Panella
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Siliquini
authors.forename: Peer
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van der Kreeft
authors.forename: Maro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vassara
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wiborg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003479:Curriculum; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*