Preventing substance misuse: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of the Strengthening Families Programme 10-14 UK (SFP 10-14 UK).

Jeremy Segrott,Ioan Humphreys,Jo Holliday,David Foxcroft,Heather Rothwell,Kerenza Hood,Jonathan Scourfield,Claire Thomas,Hayley Reed,Ceri Phillips,Simon Murphy,David Gillespie,Laurence Moore,Zoe Roberts

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-49

Jeremy Segrott, Ioan Humphreys + Show 12 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-49

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Abstract

BackgroundPrevention 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/DesignThe 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.DiscussionThe 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.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN63550893.

Highlights

Prevention of alcohol, drug and tobacco misuse by young people is a key public health priority
Risk behaviour by young people, including substance misuse, antisocial behaviour and crime has a substantial impact on the UK economy and the health of its population
Past week smoking was strongly associated with other risk behaviours, and “[o]f the 6% of pupils who reported smoking in the last week, most (5% of all pupils) had drunk alcohol or taken drugs recently, or had done both” (p185)

Summary

Introduction

Prevention of alcohol, drug and tobacco misuse by young people is a key public health priority. Risk behaviour by young people, including substance misuse (alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs), antisocial behaviour and crime has a substantial impact on the UK economy and the health of its population. These behaviours are associated with morbidity and mortality among young people, poor education, social exclusion, teenage pregnancy, conduct disorders and poor health over the Intervention efforts have largely focussed on individual risk behaviours, ignoring the co-occurrence of multiple health risk behaviours [5].

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