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Single vs. multiple drug prevention: is more always better?: a pilot study.
Chudley E Chad Werch1, Michele M Moore, Carlo C Diclemente
1Addictive and Health Behaviors Research Institute, University of Florida, 6852 Belfort Oaks Place, Jacksonville, FL 32216, USA. cwerch@hhp.ufl.edu
Substance Use & Misuse
|July 26, 2005
Summary
A brief intervention targeting only alcohol use showed better short-term results for adolescents than a multi-drug approach. This suggests single-drug prevention may be more effective for youth alcohol outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent health
- Substance abuse prevention
- Public health interventions
Background:
- Adolescent substance use is a significant public health concern.
- Preventive interventions aim to reduce drug use initiation and progression.
- Comparing single-drug versus multi-drug approaches is crucial for optimizing prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of a single-drug (alcohol) intervention against a multiple-drug preventive intervention.
- To evaluate short-term outcomes in adolescent substance use.
Main Methods:
- A controlled trial involving 448 8th-grade students from urban and rural schools.
- Randomization of students within schools.
- 3-month post-intervention follow-up data collection.
Main Results:
- Significant differences favoring the single-drug alcohol intervention were observed for two risk/protective factors (p=0.03).
- Frequency of alcohol use and two additional risk/protective factors showed trends towards significance (p<0.10).
Conclusions:
- A brief, single-drug preventive intervention may be more effective than a brief, multi-drug intervention for short-term adolescent alcohol outcomes.
- Interventions may have differential effects on subgroups of substance-using youth.