Mediating Factors of a Brazilian School-Based Drug Prevention Program.

This study aimed to evaluate the mediating mechanisms of a Brazilian school-based program to prevent drug use among adolescents. In this study, we enrolled 4,030 students in two cluster randomized controlled trials to evaluate two PROERD curricula (fifth and seventh grades) in 30 public schools. Mediation analysis was used to evaluate the program's indirect effects on drug use through communication skills, decision-making skills, attitudes toward drugs, and refusal skills. Evidence regarding differences in mediator variables and drug use between the intervention and control groups is lacking. A clear association was noted between drug use and mediators, independent of group allocation; therefore, program activities should be revised and improved to influence these mediators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]