A multisite randomized trial over a 6-year period tested an 11-lesson drug prevention curriculum for young adolescents and revealed that the prevention program achieved reductions in juvenile drug use during the junior high school years but that the effects stopped when the lessons stopped.
The Project ALERT field trial took place in 30 California and Oregon schools from eight urban, suburban, and rural communities. Schools were randomly assigned to two treatment groups, one taught by adult health educators and one taught with older teen assistants, and one control group that did not receive the curriculum. About 4,000 students were assessed in grade 7 and six times thereafter through grade 12. Program effects were adjusted for pretest covariates and school effects. Results revealed that once the lessons stopped, the program's effects on drug use stopped. Effects on cognitive risk factors persisted for a longer period, often through grade 10, but were insufficient to produce corresponding reductions in use. Therefore, it is unlikely that early prevention gains can be maintained without additional prevention efforts during high school. Figures, tables, and 26 references