Effectiveness of school-based alcohol preventive interventions for adolescents

Abstract

Early onset of alcohol consumption and early drunkenness, in particular, represent a risk factor for adolescents. Policy-makers and school professionals prioritize preventive alcohol interventions in schools. At the same time, the effectiveness of such interventions has been questioned. The major aim of this dissertation was to evaluate the effectiveness of school-based alcohol preventive programs for adolescents. A key to preventing alcohol use is to explore factors associated with early drinking behavior. The first study examined risk and protective factors associated with early onset of drinking, both of which are important when planning prevention efforts in addition to investigate the prevalence of early drinking and identifying determinants predicting early drinking onset among adolescents. The second study, based on a quasi-experimental design including a comparison group, with a pre-test, post-test and one-year follow-up, attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention, “Unge & Rus” [Youth & Alcohol]. This intervention is aimed at postponing alcohol debut, with a focus on adolescents’ attitudes and behavior in relation to alcohol use. The baseline sample consisted of 41 junior high schools, including students (N = 1,574), parents (N = 1,166) and teachers (N = 105). The intervention was evaluated according to its own goals as defined by the program owner, Knowledge Center for Drugs in North (KoRus). With the exception of increased alcohol-related knowledge among students in the intervention group, as compared to those of the control group, the results showed no significant differences in measured outcomes between the intervention and control groups at one-year follow-up. Finally, in the third study, a meta-analysis was conducted in order to estimate the general effectiveness of universal school-based interventions in preventing alcohol consumption. A total of 28 studies with high-quality designs were included in the analysis. Results varied significantly and showed small effects on adolescent alcohol consumption.