Preventing substance misuse: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of the Strengthening Families Programme 10-14 UK (SFP 10-14 UK).
BACKGROUND
Prevention of alcohol, drug and tobacco misuse by young people is a key public health priority. There is a need to develop the evidence base through rigorous evaluations of innovative approaches to substance misuse prevention. The Strengthening Families Programme 10-14 is a universal family-based alcohol, drugs and tobacco prevention programme, which has achieved promising results in US trials, and which now requires cross-cultural assessment. This paper therefore describes the protocol for a randomised controlled trial of the UK version of the Strengthening Families Programme 10-14 (SFP 10-14 UK).


METHODS
The trial comprises a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled effectiveness trial with families as the unit of randomisation, with embedded process and economic evaluations. Participating families will be randomised to one of two treatment groups - usual care with full access to existing services (control group), or usual care plus SFP 10-14 UK (intervention group). The trial has two primary outcomes - the number of occasions that young people report having drunk alcohol in the last 30 days, and drunkenness during the last 30 days, both dichotomised as 'never' and '1-2 times or more'. The main follow-up is at 2 years past baseline, and short-term and intermediate outcomes are also measured at 9 and 15 months.


CONCLUSIONS
The results from this trial will provide evidence on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an innovative universal family-based substance misuse prevention programme in a UK context.


BACKGROUND
Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN63550893.
Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, 1-3 Museum Place, CF10 3BD Cardiff, UK. segrottj@cardiff.ac.uk.
Jeremy
J
Segrott
David
D
Gillespie
Jo
J
Holliday
Ioan
I
Humphreys
Simon
S
Murphy
Ceri
C
Phillips
Hayley
H
Reed
Heather
H
Rothwell
David
D
Foxcroft
Kerenza
K
Hood
Zoe
Z
Roberts
Jonathan
J
Scourfield
Claire
C
Thomas
Laurence
L
Moore
D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002648:Child; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012107:Research Design; D006113:United Kingdom