title: Preventing alcohol use with a universal school-based intervention: results from an effectiveness study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The effectiveness of the universal school-based alcohol prevention program "Unge & Rus" [Youth & Alcohol] was tested by an independent research group. The program aims to prevent alcohol use and to change adolescents' alcohol-related attitudes. The main outcome measure was frequency of monthly alcohol use, favorable alcohol attitudes, perceived behavioral control (PBC), positive alcohol expectancy and alcohol-related knowledge.
  
  
  METHODS
  Junior high school students (N = 2,020) with a mean age of 13.5 years participated in this longitudinal pre, post and one-year follow-up study with a quasi-experimental design, involving an intervention group and a comparison group recruited from 41 junior high schools in Norway. Multilevel analysis was used to account for the repeated observations (level 1) nested within students (level 2) who in turn were clustered within school classes (level 3).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results showed an increased level of alcohol-related knowledge in the intervention group (p < .005) as compared to the comparison group at one-year follow-up. However, no significant difference in change was found between the intervention group and the comparison group in frequency of monthly alcohol use, alcohol-related attitudes, PBC or alcohol expectancy at one-year follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study offers adequate data on the effectiveness of a school-based alcohol prevention program widely implemented in Norway. Under its current method of implementation, use of the program cannot be supported over the use of standard alcohol curriculum within schools.
authors: Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, UiT, the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway. Henriette.kyrrestad@uit.no.
authors: Henriette Kyrrestad
authors: HK
authors: Strøm
authors: Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, UiT, the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway. Frode.adolfsen@uit.no.
authors: Frode
authors: F
authors: Adolfsen
authors: Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, UiT, the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway. Bjorn.helge.handegaard@uit.no.
authors: Bjørn Helge
authors: BH
authors: Handegård
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Henrik.natvig@psykologi.uio.no.
authors: Henrik
authors: H
authors: Natvig
authors: Department of Psychology, UiT, the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway. Martin.eisemann@uit.no.
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Eisemann
authors: Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, UiT, the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway. Monica.martinussen@uit.no.
authors: Monica
authors: M
authors: Martinussen
authors: Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, UiT, the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway. Roman.koposov@uit.no.
authors: Roman
authors: R
authors: Koposov
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D015397:Program Evaluation; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012574:Schools / Q000458:organization & administration; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*