Alcohol prevention strategies on college campuses and student alcohol abuse and related problems

This study examined the relationship between colleges' alcohol abuse prevention strategies and students' alcohol abuse and related problems. Alcohol prevention coordinators and first year students in 22 colleges reported whether their schools were implementing 48 strategies in six domains, and students (N = 2041) completed another survey concerning their use of alcohol and related consequences. Colleges were most likely to prevent alcohol use in public places on campus and the delivery and use of kegs. Four alcohol prevention domains were inversely associated with at least one of five outcomes related to student alcohol abuse or related consequences, and the alcohol policy and enforcement domain was inversely associated with all outcomes. Colleges should pay particular attention to strategies related to policy and enforcement.     

Who's calling the shots? Decision-makers and the adoption of effective school-based substance use prevention curricula

This study investigates the relative roles of school district and school-level decision-makers in the implementation of effective substance use prevention curricula. Drawing on a "Site-Based Management" approach to effective decision-making, we hypothesized that schools whose personnel played active decision-making roles would be more likely to implement effective curricula than those in which decision-making was the prerogative of school district personnel. Study data comprised 1369 questionnaires completed by a representative national sample of both district-level prevention coordinators and middle school-based lead prevention teachers. From the perspective of the lead prevention teachers, the school district-level prevention coordinator was more influential than school staff in selecting effective prevention curricula. However, we did find some support for our hypothesis from our district-level informants, who indicated that community groups and advisory committees also play a modest role in the selection of such curricula.     

A Sociology of Human Rights: Rights through a Social Movements Lens

Cet article propose un cadre théorique pour développer une sociologie des droits humains en s'intéressant aux mouvements sociaux dans le but de comprendre les cultures de droits locales. Si le droit humain est une idée qui se développe historiquement principalement à travers l'État, on remarque qu'au Canada, les avancées des droits de l'homme sont le fait de militants travaillant sur le terrain. Dans cet article, on explore aussi les écrits en sociologie au Canada. Les auteurs argumentent qu'on observe un sérieux manque d'engagement de la part des sociologues anglophones et francophones au Canada et que trop peu d'entres eux proposent de réelles études nationales. Évidemment, l'accès restreint à l'information législative représente un obstacle sérieux à la recherche académique au Canada. This article offers a framework for developing a sociology of human rights using social movements to understand local rights cultures. The idea of human rights has historically been highly statist, but grass‐roots activism has been at the heart of the most profound human rights advances in Canada. The article also raises questions about the current state of sociological writing about Canada. The author contends that there is a serious lack of engagement among English and French sociologists, and too few scholars provide genuine “national” studies. Moreover, restrictive access to information legislation represents a serious obstacle to academic research in Canada.     

Project success' effects on substance use-related attitudes and behaviors: a randomized controlled trial in alternative high schools

Using a randomized controlled effectiveness trial, we examined the effects of Project SUCCESS on a range of secondary outcomes, including the program's mediating variables. Project SUCCESS, which is based both on the Theory of Reasoned Action and on Cognitive Behavior Theory, is a school-based substance use prevention program that targets high-risk students. We recruited two groups of alternative high schools in successive academic years, and randomly assigned schools in each group to either receive the intervention (n = 7) or serve as a control (n = 7). Students completed surveys prior to and following the administration of the program, and again 1 year later. Although participation in Project SUCCESS significantly increased students' perceptions of harm resulting from alcohol and marijuana use, students in the control group reported greater increases in peer support. We also found conflicting evidence in two opposing trends related to students' perceptions of the prevalence and acceptability of substance use. Therefore, the effects of Project SUCCESS on substance use-related beliefs and behaviors must be considered mixed.     

The cultural tailoring of a substance use prevention curriculum for American Indian youth

In this article we discuss the importance of the cultural tailoring (CT) of classroom-based prevention curricula to ensure their relevance to, and increase their receptivity by, racial and ethnic minority adolescent populations. Following a review of the pertinent literature, we develop an integrated model of CT that conceptualizes such adaptations into "superficial/ peripheral," "deep structure/sociocultural," and "evidential," and subclassifies the first of these into "language" and "images." We then describe the results of the application of this model post hoc to the adaptation of a specific alcohol use prevention curriculum, "Protecting You/Protecting Me," to enhance its suitability for youth in three American Indian tribes in Nebraska. We conclude with a discussion of the adequacy of the model of CT we developed and the potential challenges and benefits of subjecting other curricula to this process.     

Great minds don't always think alike: the challenges of conducting substance abuse prevention research in public schools

Prevention researchers and school personnel lack a common understanding concerning the opportunities and burdens of school-based drug prevention research. In this article, we review issues related to researching substance abuse prevention programs in school settings, and assess challenges related to recruitment, communication, research design, surveying, and ensuring program fidelity. We conclude that before any school is enrolled, there must be a mutual understanding as to the nature and extent of the study's requirements and what adjustments a school will have to make to support a successful collaboration. Further, researchers must understand that schools' responsibilities for preparing students to perform well on academic and standardized tests will always overshadow the value they place on participating in studies to evaluate the effectiveness of prevention curricula.     

The effects of Project SUCCESS on student academic performance: a quasi-experimental study

Project SUCCESS (PS) is a substance use prevention program that targets indicated high school students. We used archival data to explore the program's effects on students' academic achievement and disciplinary problems. It is essential to demonstrate such effects, if prevention curricula are to survive in schools that face multiple competing demands for class time. Using a quasi-experimental design that compared students exposed to the program to those not exposed in five schools, we examined the effects of PS on grades, absenteeism, and disciplinary problems. Using longitudinal analyses that linked individual students' program exposure data to their academic performance, we found that PS had a positive impact on both grades and absenteeism for two years following exposure. We note that these findings are particularly fortuitous, as PS was not designed to affect these outcomes. We recommend that future evaluations of school-based prevention curricula routinely include academic performance.     

A short-term, quasi-experimental evaluation of D.A.R.E.'s revised elementary school curriculum

We present the short-term results of a quasi-experimental evaluation of the revised D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) curriculum. Study outcomes examined were D.A.R.E.'s effects on three substances, namely students' lifetime and 30-day use of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana, as well as their school attendance and academic performance. The study comprised students in 17 urban schools, each of which served as its own control; 5th graders in the 2006-2007 school year constituted the comparison group (n = 1490), and those enrolled as 5th graders in the 2007-2008 school year constituted the intervention group (n= 1450). We found no intervention effect on students' substance use for any of the substance use outcomes assessed. We did find that students were more likely to attend school on days they received D.A.R.E. lessons and that students in the intervention group were more likely to have been suspended. Study findings provide little support for the implementation and dissemination of the revised D.A.R.E. curriculum.     

The prevalence of evidence-based substance use prevention curricula in the nation's elementary schools

Current guidelines for school-based substance use prevention suggest that prevention efforts should begin in elementary grades, before students begin using substances. Previous research suggests, however, that the use of evidence-based curricula in these grades may be low. Using a 2005 survey of public school districts in the United States that include elementary grades (n = 1563), we assessed the prevalence of elementary curricula use, particularly those designated as evidence-based. We found that although 72% of districts administer a substance use prevention curriculum to their elementary students, only about 35% are using one that is evidence-based and only about 14% are using an evidence-based curriculum more so than any other prevention curriculum. We present prevalence estimates for specific evidence-based curricula and conclude by discussing possible reasons for and implications of our findings.