Effectiveness of a School-Based Drug Prevention Program: Tú Decides 2.0.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Adolescent Health
• Substance Use Prevention

Background:

• Adolescent substance use is a significant public health issue in Spain.
• Existing prevention programs require updates to address evolving substance use patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the updated school-based drug prevention program, "Tú Decides 2.0."
• To assess the program's impact on reducing alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarette, and cannabis use among Spanish adolescents.

Main Methods:

• A nine-month, quasi-experimental controlled trial involving 2251 adolescents (aged 12-17) across 13 Spanish secondary schools.
• Intervention group received "Tú Decides 2.0"; control group received assessment sessions.
• Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) analyses using an intention-to-treat (ITT) approach were conducted.

Main Results:

• Significant reductions in e-cigarette use were observed in the intervention group compared to the control group in 2nd and 4th CSE years.
• Significant reductions in alcohol and tobacco use were found at three-month follow-up for students in the 2nd CSE year.
• No significant effects were observed for cannabis use or for the 1st and 3rd CSE years.

Conclusions:

• The "Tú Decides 2.0" program demonstrated effectiveness in reducing e-cigarette, alcohol, and tobacco use among Spanish adolescents.
• Findings support the implementation of updated, digitalized school-based interventions for adolescent substance use prevention.
• The study highlights the importance of tailored, evidence-based programs in addressing public health concerns.