Emily's Hope Upper Elementary School Substance Use Curriculum: Knowledge, Attitude and Perception Outcomes - a
Grace Caldwell1, Phil Dohn2, Minga C Vargas3
1Psychiatry Residency Program, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine.
Background:
Substance use severely harms health, mental health, and is a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality. To help prevent substance use, developmentally appropriate educational interventions during elementary school are much needed.
Methods:
An evidence-based and age-appropriate substance use prevention curriculum targeted at upper elementary school students (4th and 5th grades) was developed by a multidisciplinary educational committee. The curriculum was administered to 514 upper elementary over the 2023-2024 school year.
Results:
A pre-curriculum baseline knowledge survey was administered to 274 students in 4th grade and 240 students in 5th grade over the 2023-2024 school year. At the end of the school year, following instruction of the curriculum, the survey was re-administered post-curriculum (n=158 in 4th grade; n=162 in 5th grade) with student retention rates of 58% and 68%, respectively. This pilot study demonstrated increased knowledge, changes in attitude, and improved perceptions about health promotion and substance use prevention in both 4th and 5th grade students.
Conclusion:
These results support well-designed and age-appropriate curriculum as effective prevention programs that would ideally mitigate risk and reinforce protective factors. It further suggests that elementary school-based prevention programs are likely to be successful, which could help reduce exposure to substances during middle and high school.
