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Project ALERT: a cluster randomized trial.
Christopher L Ringwalt1, Heddy Kovach Clark, Sean Hanley
1Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 1516 E Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA. ringwalt@pire.org
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
|July 8, 2009
Summary
Project ALERT, a school-based program, did not effectively reduce substance use in middle school students. While some reductions were observed, only alcohol use showed a statistically significant decrease.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent health
- Substance abuse prevention
- Educational psychology
Background:
- Middle school substance use is a significant public health concern.
- Early intervention programs aim to prevent lifetime and 30-day substance use.
- Project ALERT is a manualized, classroom-based curriculum for substance use prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of Project ALERT on adolescent substance use.
- Assessed the impact on lifetime and 30-day use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and inhalants.
- Examined program effects in a large, multi-state sample of middle school students.
Main Methods:
- Cluster randomized trial involving 34 public schools across 11 states.
- Intervention delivered to sixth and seventh graders over two years.
- Survey data collected at baseline and follow-up from 5883 participants.
Main Results:
- At baseline, intervention group showed slightly higher substance use across most measures.
- Follow-up showed reduced differences, favoring the intervention, except for lifetime cigarette use.
- Only past 30-day alcohol use reduction was statistically significant (OR 2.07 to 1.32, P = .006).
Conclusions:
- Project ALERT was not effective in preventing substance use in the targeted sixth-grade population.
- The program did not demonstrate significant reductions in cigarette, marijuana, or inhalant use.
- Further research may be needed to identify effective prevention strategies for this age group.
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