The proposed research seeks to develop methodological techniques and assess the impact of community drug programs on youth. Substantial research documents the extent of drug use among adolescents, but there is little research linking the reduction of drug problems with community interventions. Surveys of alcohol and drug use are routinely conducted by virtually every state and many local communities. Yet these represent a virtually untapped source for understanding the impact of prevention efforts. The present research proposes to develop a systematic research synthesis of extant school survey data from at least 42 communities in 10 states. The synthesis is designed to assess the effectiveness of comprehensive community-based prevention programs on drug use and attitudes among junior high and high school students. Prevention strategies in two national demonstration programs will be studied: Fighting Back, which is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Community Partnership Program, funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. School survey data from 21 treatment sites and 21 matched control sites will be meta-analyzed to calculate effect sizes and assess the impact of programs in youth drug use.
Specific aims of the project are: 1) To develop a typology of community-based drug abuse prevention programs in order to test systematically their impact on youth; 2) To collect data from state- and locally-sponsored school-based surveys and develop dependent variables for meta-analysis; 3) To conduct a research synthesis and assess the impact of community programs, controlling for concurrent school-based prevention programs. The use of drugs has profound negative health consequences and is associated with traffic accidents, criminal activity, infant morbidity; and the spread of HIV. It is particularly devastating for youth: the three leading causes of death for 15-24 year old are unintentional injuries, suicide, and homicide, each of which is associated with the use of drugs. Hundreds of communities have formed coalitions in an attempt to prevent these problems. Information gained from this study will be important in understanding what types of strategies are effective.
