School-Based Adolescent Drug Prevention Programs: 1998 Meta-Analysis

This paper reports on a meta-analysis of 207 universal school-based drug prevention programs that compared the self-reported drug use of treatment to control or comparison youth. Programs are classified into Interactive and Non-Interactive groups based on a combination of content and delivery method. Weighted categorical and weighted regression methods have been used to determine the attributes that most effectively reduce, delay, or prevent drug use, including program size, type of control group and leader, attrition, target drug, intensity, grade, special population and level of drug use. Program type and size are found to be significant predictors of effectiveness. Non-interactive lecture-oriented prevention programs that stress drug knowledge or affective development show small effects. Interactive programs that foster development of interpersonal skills show significantly greater effects that decrease with large-scale implementations.