Increasing Implementation Fidelity for School-Based Drug Abuse Prevention: Effectiveness of Enhanced Training and Technical Assistance

AbstractObjective: A substantial barrier to translating prevention science into practice is the potential for low implementation fidelity when evidence-based interventions are delivered in real-world settings. This study tested the extent to which enhanced training and technical assistance can improve implementation fidelity of LifeSkills Training, an evidence-based drug abuse prevention program. Method: We recruited and randomly assigned middle schools (N = 34) to either a standard provider training condition or a fidelity-enhancement (FE) condition. Teachers in both conditions participated in a standard 1-day training session led by a certified trainer. Teachers in the FE condition received supplemental training and technical assistance (TA), which included planning workbooks, interactive DVD training tools, just-in-time e-mail reminders, and access to TA via the Internet and telephone. Trained coders rated videotapes of classroom teachers implementing curriculum sessions. An intent-to-treat analysis in...