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A new study, supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), suggests that school-based prevention programs at the elementary level can significantly reduce problem behaviors in students. The study found that fifth graders who previously participated in a comprehensive interactive prevention program for one to fours year were half as likely to abuse substances, behave violently, or be sexually active as those who did not. The study will appear in the August 2008 print issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

NIDA director Dr. Nora Volkow commented on the study's findings: "This study provides compelling evidence that intervening with young children is a promising approach to preventing drug use and other problem behaviors. ... The fact that an intervention beginning in the first grade produced a significant effect on children's behavior in the fifth grade strengthens the case for initiating prevention programs in elementary school, before most children have begun to engage in problem behaviors."

The study included students from 20 schools in Hawaii. Participating schools had diverse student populations and below-average standardized test scores, and approximately 55 percent of students received free or reduced lunch.

(Source: www.opposingviews.com)

Labels: teen drug abuse, prevention program

Posted By: Aspen Education Group