Preventing alcohol use with a universal school-based intervention: results from an effectiveness study.

Henriette Kyrrestad Strøm,Henrik Natvig,Monica Martinussen,Bjørn Helge Handegård,Martin Eisemann,Roman Koposov,Frode Adolfsen

doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1704-7

Henriette Kyrrestad Strøm, Henrik Natvig + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1704-7

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Abstract

BackgroundThe 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.MethodsJunior 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).ResultsResults 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.ConclusionsThis 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.

Highlights

The effectiveness of the universal school-based alcohol prevention program “Unge & Rus” [Youth & Alcohol] was tested by an independent research group
Alcohol interventions are an important priority within school-based prevention, but the effectiveness of alcohol prevention programs has been modest [6]
Participants and procedure The effectiveness of “Unge & Rus” was tested using a longitudinal pre, post and one-year follow-up study with a quasi-experimental design, comparing an intervention group to a comparison group selected from 41 junior high schools in Norway

Summary

Introduction

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. A public health priority of the World Health Organization is to prevent harmful use of alcohol [1]. Alcohol is the most frequently used intoxicating substance in junior high school [2,3]. Alcohol interventions are an important priority within school-based prevention, but the effectiveness of alcohol prevention programs has been modest [6]. Meta-analytic findings showed a significant mean treatment group difference in 18 high quality alcohol interactive programs with a small mean effect size of Hedges’ g = 0.14 [7]. A more recent review documented that six out of eleven alcohol-specific trials showed significant reductions in alcohol use [6]

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