Expand School-Based Prevention Programs

Return to Zoom Map (Improve Protective Factors to Minimize Desire to Misuse Opioids)
 

The Need for Prevention Programs Targeting Youth

This article by two doctors provides a strong case for specific strategies to address teen opioid abuse. It links to good sources of information and resources.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), conducted in 2015 in the United States on 68,073 people 12 years of age and older, revealed that the prevalence of past year pain reliever NMU was 3.9% among 12–17 year olds (Hughes et al., 2016). The 2015 Monitoring The Future (MTF) survey among high school students revealed that older adolescents (12th graders) had the highest annual prevalence of OxyContin® and Vicodin® use (3.7% and 4.4% respectively), with the lowest annual prevalence seen in 8th graders (0.8% and 0.9%, respectively) (Johnston, O'Malley, Miech, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2016). Learn more in this article.

This HHS page also has good information on opioid and adolescents. (Add key points to this wiki page).

Using "Gateway Drugs" and smoking increases risk factors.
 

Opioid Education Programs

Recommendations for selecting a school program

 

• Start by looking at programs that have evidence that they work. The list on Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development is a place to start. Do a keyword search of this registry using the term “opioid prevention” to find programs.
• Look for programs that have a good Return on Investment (effective, but not too expensive). See below on this page.
• Adopt programs that not only prevent substance use but also promote protective fitness and healthy habits among teens. Programs that integrate substance use prevention with positive behavior promotion are more likely to be accepted and used by youth, families and funders than those limited to just communicating substance use risks and harm. This was key to the success of the Youth in Iceland Program and is backed by many studies.
• Promote prevention in multiple settings to reach a broader youth audience, and ensure overlapping prevention messages. Critical settings for providing prevention programs include schools and colleges, healthcare, youth and family organizations, juvenile justice, sports and recreation programs, and homes.
• Innovate to make evidence-based programs more relevant in these fast-changing times. Research takes time and the opioid crisis is moving fast. You should consider how to innovate and enhance programs that may have targeted other drugs to make them more relevant for today's opioid crisis.

School Prevention Programs have a Positive Impact
In 2012, a special report of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 75% of youth ages twelve to seventeen reported having seen or heard drug or alcohol prevention messages at school. Of those who received such exposure, 8.9% reported using an illicit drug in the past month, versus 12.3% among students who reported no exposure to such messages.
 

Classroom Resources

Operation Prevention, a joint partnership between Discovery Education and the DEA, developed free resources that "that are aligned to national health and science standards and integrate seamlessly into classroom instruction." Toolkits and lesson plans have been designed for middle school students and another for high school students. A parent toolkit designed alongside the material to provide further discussion of the topic at home is included as well. See Empower & Strengthen Parents for more strategies to include parents. See Tools & Resources for copies of toolkits.
 

Analysis of Research-Based Programs and Return on Investment

This report looks at thirteen Youth Marijuana Prevention programs and shares valuable insights on the Return on Investment of these programs. Use of marijuana is a risk factor for starting misuse of opioids, and there are underlying factors where prevention efforts impacts the use of many different types of drugs.

 [1]
  Positive Prevention Plus: A comprehensive school-based sexual health education and teen pregnancy prevention curriculum ([2]

 

Examples of Promising, Evidence-based Programs

These are programs the you can consider...
SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness: A single-session screening and brief intervention that integrates substance use prevention with the promoting of physical activity and healthy behaviors for youth.

 Positive Prevention Plus: A comprehensive school-based sexual health education and teen pregnancy prevention curriculum.

 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program: Includes schoolwide, classroom, individual, and community strategies.
 

 

Media Literacy

Media literacy is a promising approach to school-based substance abuse intervention." Beneficial outcomes include:

 

• Increased media skepticism
• Increased perceived efficiency in resisting pro-drug media messages
• Greater ability to make counter-arguments to beer advertisements
• Increased belief that smoking and drinking are "wrong"
• Reduced middle school boys' intentions to use alcohol or tobacco in the future

 

Healthy Youth Development Programs in Schools reduce Opioid Misuse

Article on Evidence-based practices: [3]

 

 

Successful Examples

Putnam Middle School Social Norms Campaign

In partnership with Putnam Pride, this campaign focused on the common misconceptions that students have about their peers' substance use. Most kids believe that a majority of students use substances when, in reality, only a very small percentage does. Changing social norms of a school by educating students on the reality of substance use would lead to a changed perspective of drug use as deviant rather than something that "everyone is doing."

  Although this program focused on alcohol use, the same idea could be used for prescription opioid drugs as an education tool for students.

 

 

SAFIR -- Substance Abuse Free Indian River

This Drug Free Coalition in Vero Beach, Florida, has been implementing several promising programs in schools and working with community partners.
  “We are very proud of our initiatives: SAFIR Rx, Talk, They Hear You, No One’s House and Friday Night Done Right, but we are particularly excited about Know the Law, which is conducted by law enforcement officers (LEOs) in the classroom,” said Robin Dapp, Executive Director. “It helps bring students and officers together.” At the beginning of each school year, school resource officers provide the Know the Law classes to incoming high school freshmen. The program is designed to make our local youth and young adults aware of the laws and the consequences of breaking the law. The training covers the common offenses committed by youth on a regular basis.

  SAFIR has supported the delivery of a very comprehensive prevention strategy for our middle school youth. All middle schools in the community receive Botvin’s LifeSkills Training program, beginning in 6th grade through 8th grade. The curriculum is delivered by the Substance Awareness Center, and consists of a total of 30 lessons.

  A significant environmental strategy that has been embraced by local law enforcement is Civil Citation. See details on
 

 

Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts

Each of these groups can participate in the DEA Red Ribbon Patch Program. This program empowers young people to create, embrace and strengthen their drug free belief. See Tools & Resources details on participation.

 

Scorecard Building

Potential Objective Details
Potential Measures and Data Sources
Potential Actions and Partners
 

Tools & Resources

TR - Expand School Prevention Programs

Resources to Investigate

RTI - Expand School Prevention Programs

PAGE MANAGER: [insert name here]
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT: [fill out table below]

Reviewer	Date	Comments

Sources

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1. [4]
2. [5]
3. Kupersmidt, J.B., Barrett, T.M., Elmore, K.C., & Benson, J.W. (2007). Preliminary Findings from the Evaluation of the Elementary Media Literacy, Substance Abuse Prevention Project. Paper presented at the first Research Summit of the Alliance for a Media Literate America, St. Louis, MO.
4. Austin, E. W., Pinkleton, B. E., Hust, S. J. T., & Cohen, M. (2005). Evaluation of an American Legacy Foundation/Washington State Department of Health media literacy pilot study. Health Communication, 18(1), 75.
5. Slater, M.D., Rouner, D., Murphy, K., Beauvais, F., Van Leuven, J., & Domenech-Rodriguez, M.M. (1996). Adolescent counterarguing of tv beer advertisements: Evidence for effectiveness of alcohol education and critical viewing discussions. Journal of Drug Education, 26(2), 143-158.
6. Kupersmidt, J., Feagans, L., Eisen, M., & Hicks, R. (May, 2005). The North Carolina Media Literacy Education Program: An evaluation. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Intervention Research, Washington, D.C.
7. Kupersmidt, J., Feagans, L., Eisen, M., & Hicks, R. (May, 2005). The North Carolina Media Literacy Education Program: An evaluation. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Intervention Research, Washington, D.C.
8. [6]