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Effectiveness of a universal internet-based prevention program for ecstasy and new psychoactive substances: a cluster randomized controlled trial.
- Source :
- Addiction; Aug2016, Vol. 111 Issue 8, p1396-1405, 10p, 1 Diagram, 3 Charts
- Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- Aim To evaluate the effectiveness of an online school-based prevention program for ecstasy (MDMA) and new psychoactive substances (NPS). Design Cluster randomized controlled trial with two groups (intervention and control). Setting Eleven secondary schools in Australia. Participants A total of 1126 students (mean age: 14.9 years). Intervention The internet-based Climate Schools: Ecstasy and Emerging Drugs module uses cartoon storylines to convey information about harmful drug use. It was delivered once weekly, during a 4-week period, during health education classes. Control schools received health education as usual. Measurement Primary outcomes were self-reported intentions to use ecstasy and NPS at 12 months. Secondary outcomes were ecstasy and NPS knowledge and life-time use of ecstasy and NPS. Surveys were administered at baseline, post-intervention and 6 and 12 month post-baseline. Findings At 12 months, the proportion of students likely to use NPS was significantly greater in the control group (1.8%) than the intervention group [0.5%; odds ratio (OR) = 10.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.31-78.91]. However, students' intentions to use ecstasy did not differ significantly between groups (control = 2.1%, intervention = 1.6%; OR = 5.91, 95% CI = 1.01-34.73). There was a significant group difference in the change from baseline to post-test for NPS knowledge (β = −0.42, 95% CI = −0.62 to −0.21, Cohen's d = 0.77), with controls [mean = 2.78, standard deviation (SD = 1.48] scoring lower than intervention students (mean = 3.85, SD = 1.49). There was also evidence of a significant group difference in ecstasy knowledge at post-test (control: mean = 9.57, SD = 3.31; intervention: mean = 11.57, SD = 3.61; β = −0.54, 95% CI = −0.97 to −0.12, P = 0.01, d = 0.73). Conclusions The Climate Schools: Ecstasy and Emerging Drugs module, a universal online school-based prevention program, appeared to reduce students' intentions to use new psychoactive substances and increased knowledge about ecstasy and new psychoactive substances in the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- SUBSTANCE abuse prevention
ECSTASY (Drug)
PSYCHIATRIC drugs
ONLINE education
DRUG abuse
TEENAGERS
DRUG abuse prevention
PREVENTION
COMPUTER network resources
PSYCHOLOGY
CHI-squared test
CONFIDENCE intervals
STATISTICAL correlation
FISHER exact test
HEALTH education
HIGH schools
INTERNET
COMPUTERS in medicine
PROBABILITY theory
REGRESSION analysis
STATISTICAL sampling
SELF-evaluation
SUBSTANCE abuse
SURVEYS
THERAPEUTICS
LOGISTIC regression analysis
SAMPLE size (Statistics)
EFFECT sizes (Statistics)
RANDOMIZED controlled trials
PRE-tests & post-tests
DATA analysis software
MEDICAL coding
DESCRIPTIVE statistics
ODDS ratio
ONE-way analysis of variance
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09652140
- Volume :
- 111
- Issue :
- 8
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Addiction
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 116708693
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13345