Alcohol Drinking, Marijuana Smoking, Smoking
Conditions
Keywords
smoking, alcohol, prevention, prevention & control
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to replicate a longitudinal evaluation of Project ALERT, a substance abuse prevention program that targets middle school students.
Detailed description
Project ALERT is a substance abuse prevention program that targets middle school students. The purposes of this evaluation are to test its immediate and one-year effectiveness in a randomized experimental design that will span a total of 2.5 years for each of two cohorts. The cohorts are spaced one year apart to reduce our implementation and data collection burdens at any one time. The design for the two cohorts is identical. In schools randomly assigned to the treatment group, instructors receive Project ALERT training and materials prior to beginning the program and have access to technical assistance on request. In schools randomly assigned to the control group, teachers implement whatever substance abuse prevention curricula they normally would (if any).
Interventions
BEHAVIORALProject ALERT
Project ALERT (Adolescent Learning Experiences in Resistance Training) is a drug prevention curriculum designed for middle-school students (11 to 14 years old). The 11 lessons in the first year and 3 booster lessons in the second year focus on alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and inhalants - the substances that adolescents are most likely to use. Project ALERT uses participatory activities and videos to help motivate youth to avoid drug use, to teach youth skills and strategies to resist peer pressures to use drugs, and to establish social norms against drug-use. More information about Project ALERT may be found at http://www.projectalert.best.org/.
Sponsors
Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* schools with 6th-8th grades housed together on a common campus * schools with 6th grade student population of at least 100 students * schools with no current 6th, 7th, or 8th grade implementation of any drug prevention curriculum recognized as a model program by a federally-sponsored registry * all regular education students in the targeted grade must participate
Exclusion criteria
* students in self-contained classrooms (i.e., special education classes)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Self-reported 30-day Use of Alcohol | measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed | Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. They were asked on how many days they had used alcohol in the previous 30 days. Response options included none, 1 or 2 days in the last month, 3 to 5 days in the last month, 6 to 19 days in the last month, and 20 or more days in the last month. Response options were dichotomized into none and at least one day. |
| Self-reported 30-day Use of Cigarettes | measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed | Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. They were asked on how many days they had smoked cigarettes in the previous 30 days. Response options included none, 1 or 2 days in the last month, 3 to 5 days in the last month, 6 to 19 days in the last month, and 20 or more days in the last month. Response options were dichotomized into none and at least one day. |
| Self-reported 30-day Marijuana Use | measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed | Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. They were asked on how many days they had used marijuana in the previous 30 days. Response options included none, 1 or 2 days in the last month, 3 to 5 days in the last month, 6 to 19 days in the last month, and 20 or more days in the last month. Response options were dichotomized into none and at least one day. |
| Self-reported 30-day Inhalant Use | measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed | Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. They were asked on how many days they had used inhalants in the previous 30 days. Response options included none, 1 or 2 days in the last month, 3 to 5 days in the last month, 6 to 19 days in the last month, and 20 or more days in the last month. Response options were dichotomized into none and at least one day. |
| Self-reported Lifetime Alcohol Use | measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed | Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. To assess lifetime use, we asked if the respondent had ever used alcohol (yes or no). |
| Self-reported Lifetime Cigarette Use | measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed | Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. To assess lifetime use, we asked if the respondent had ever smoked cigarettes (yes or no). |
| Self-reported Lifetime Marijuana Use | measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed | Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. To assess lifetime use, we asked if the respondent had ever used marijuana (yes or no). |
| Self-reported Lifetime Inhalant Use | measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed | Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. To assess lifetime use, we asked if the respondent had ever used inhalants (yes or no). |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Recruitment details
Schools with grades 6-8 who did not currently use an evidence-based substance use prevention program in those grades, and committed themselves to including all their sixth grade students were recruited. Schools were recruited in two cohorts spaced one year apart (2004-2005 and 2005-2006 academic years). Schools from 11 states were enrolled.
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Control Group School did not receive Project ALERT, a substance use prevention program | 4,348 |
| Treatment Group School received Project ALERT, a substance use prevention program with 11 lessons the first year and 3 booster lessons the second year | 3,990 |
| Total | 8,338 |
Withdrawals & dropouts
| Period | Reason | FG000 | FG001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Study | Excluded/ruled ineligible | 357 | 129 |
| Overall Study | Lost to Follow-up | 505 | 482 |
| Overall Study | No parental consent | 935 | 866 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Control Group | Treatment Group | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 4348 Participants | 3990 Participants | 8338 Participants |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 2178 Participants | 2051 Participants | 4229 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 2170 Participants | 1939 Participants | 4109 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | — / — | — / — |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 |
Outcome results
Primary
Self-reported 30-day Inhalant Use
Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. They were asked on how many days they had used inhalants in the previous 30 days. Response options included none, 1 or 2 days in the last month, 3 to 5 days in the last month, 6 to 19 days in the last month, and 20 or more days in the last month. Response options were dichotomized into none and at least one day.
Time frame: measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed
Population: Data were cleaned to remove cases with logical inconsistencies which decreased our sample by 3.6% of respondents at pretest and 7.5% at post-test. Missing covariate data were imputed using the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm. Missing data were imputed using the EM algorithms implemented in the Missing Value Analysis module in SPSS 13.0.
| Arm | Measure | Value (NUMBER) |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | Self-reported 30-day Inhalant Use | 224 participants |
| Treatment Group | Self-reported 30-day Inhalant Use | 239 participants |
Primary
Self-reported 30-day Marijuana Use
Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. They were asked on how many days they had used marijuana in the previous 30 days. Response options included none, 1 or 2 days in the last month, 3 to 5 days in the last month, 6 to 19 days in the last month, and 20 or more days in the last month. Response options were dichotomized into none and at least one day.
Time frame: measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed
Population: Data were cleaned to remove cases with logical inconsistencies which decreased our sample by 3.6% of respondents at pretest and 7.5% at post-test. Missing covariate data were imputed using the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm. Missing data were imputed using the EM algorithms implemented in the Missing Value Analysis module in SPSS 13.0.
| Arm | Measure | Value (NUMBER) |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | Self-reported 30-day Marijuana Use | 130 participants |
| Treatment Group | Self-reported 30-day Marijuana Use | 116 participants |
Primary
Self-reported 30-day Use of Alcohol
Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. They were asked on how many days they had used alcohol in the previous 30 days. Response options included none, 1 or 2 days in the last month, 3 to 5 days in the last month, 6 to 19 days in the last month, and 20 or more days in the last month. Response options were dichotomized into none and at least one day.
Time frame: measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed
Population: Data were cleaned to remove cases with logical inconsistencies which decreased our sample by 3.6% of respondents at pretest and 7.5% at post-test. Missing covariate data were imputed using the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm. Missing data were imputed using the EM algorithms implemented in the Missing Value Analysis module in SPSS 13.0.
| Arm | Measure | Value (NUMBER) |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | Self-reported 30-day Use of Alcohol | 330 Participants |
| Treatment Group | Self-reported 30-day Use of Alcohol | 332 Participants |
Primary
Self-reported 30-day Use of Cigarettes
Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. They were asked on how many days they had smoked cigarettes in the previous 30 days. Response options included none, 1 or 2 days in the last month, 3 to 5 days in the last month, 6 to 19 days in the last month, and 20 or more days in the last month. Response options were dichotomized into none and at least one day.
Time frame: measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed
Population: Data were cleaned to remove cases with logical inconsistencies which decreased our sample by 3.6% of respondents at pretest and 7.5% at post-test. Missing covariate data were imputed using the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm. Missing data were imputed using the EM algorithms implemented in the Missing Value Analysis module in SPSS 13.0.
| Arm | Measure | Value (NUMBER) |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | Self-reported 30-day Use of Cigarettes | 130 participants |
| Treatment Group | Self-reported 30-day Use of Cigarettes | 144 participants |
Primary
Self-reported Lifetime Alcohol Use
Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. To assess lifetime use, we asked if the respondent had ever used alcohol (yes or no).
Time frame: measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed
Population: Data were cleaned to remove cases with logical inconsistencies which decreased our sample by 3.6% of respondents at pretest and 7.5% at post-test. Missing covariate data were imputed using the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm. Missing data were imputed using the EM algorithms implemented in the Missing Value Analysis module in SPSS 13.0.
| Arm | Measure | Value (NUMBER) |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | Self-reported Lifetime Alcohol Use | 1236 participants |
| Treatment Group | Self-reported Lifetime Alcohol Use | 1288 participants |
Primary
Self-reported Lifetime Cigarette Use
Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. To assess lifetime use, we asked if the respondent had ever smoked cigarettes (yes or no).
Time frame: measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed
Population: Data were cleaned to remove cases with logical inconsistencies which decreased our sample by 3.6% of respondents at pretest and 7.5% at post-test. Missing covariate data were imputed using the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm. Missing data were imputed using the EM algorithms implemented in the Missing Value Analysis module in SPSS 13.0.
| Arm | Measure | Value (NUMBER) |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | Self-reported Lifetime Cigarette Use | 439 participants |
| Treatment Group | Self-reported Lifetime Cigarette Use | 544 participants |
Primary
Self-reported Lifetime Inhalant Use
Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. To assess lifetime use, we asked if the respondent had ever used inhalants (yes or no).
Time frame: measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed
Population: Data were cleaned to remove cases with logical inconsistencies which decreased our sample by 3.6% of respondents at pretest and 7.5% at post-test. Missing covariate data were imputed using the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm. Missing data were imputed using the EM algorithms implemented in the Missing Value Analysis module in SPSS 13.0.
| Arm | Measure | Value (NUMBER) |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | Self-reported Lifetime Inhalant Use | 342 participants |
| Treatment Group | Self-reported Lifetime Inhalant Use | 379 participants |
Primary
Self-reported Lifetime Marijuana Use
Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. To assess lifetime use, we asked if the respondent had ever used marijuana (yes or no).
Time frame: measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed
Population: Data were cleaned to remove cases with logical inconsistencies which decreased our sample by 3.6% of respondents at pretest and 7.5% at post-test. Missing covariate data were imputed using the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm. Missing data were imputed using the EM algorithms implemented in the Missing Value Analysis module in SPSS 13.0.
| Arm | Measure | Value (NUMBER) |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | Self-reported Lifetime Marijuana Use | 238 participants |
| Treatment Group | Self-reported Lifetime Marijuana Use | 265 participants |