Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Effects of Project ALERT One Year Past Curriculum Completion

  • Published:
Prevention Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

School-based drug prevention curricula constitute the nation’s most prevalent strategy to prevent adolescent drug use. We evaluated the effects of one such curriculum, Project ALERT, on adolescent substance use. In particular, we sought to determine if a single effect on 30-day alcohol use, noted shortly following the completion of the 2-year program, could be detected 1 year later. We also looked for delayed effects on other outcomes of interest, namely lifetime alcohol use, and 30-day and lifetime use of cigarettes, marijuana, and inhalants. We employed a randomized controlled trial that used school as the unit of assignment. Thirty-four schools with grades 6–8 from 11 states completed the study. Seventy-one Project ALERT instructors taught 11 core lessons to sixth graders and 3 booster lessons to seventh graders. Students were assessed prior to the onset of the intervention, as sixth graders, after the completion of the 2-year curriculum, as seventh graders, and again 1 year later as eighth graders. This paper examines data from the pretest and final posttest. Using hierarchical nonlinear modeling, we found that our earlier effect on 30-day alcohol use did not persist. Further, we continued to find no effects for lifetime alcohol use and both the lifetime and 30-day use of cigarettes, marijuana, and inhalants. Our findings do not support the long-term effectiveness of Project ALERT, when delivered to sixth graders.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barber, B. K. & Olsen, J. A. (2004). Assessing the transitions to middle and high school. Journal of Adolescent Research, 19, 3–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Best Foundation for a Drug Free Tomorrow. (2009a). About Project ALERT.com: Highlights: The Project ALERT Curriculum. Retrieved September 2, 2009, from http://www.projectalert.com/highlights.

  • Best Foundation for a Drug Free Tomorrow. (2009b). About Project ALERT.com: Cost and training. Retrieved September 2, 2009, from http://www.projectalert.com/about/cost_training.

  • Botvin, G. J. & Griffin, K. W. (2003). Drug abuse prevention curricula in schools. In Z. Sloboda & W. J. Bukoski (Eds.), Handbook of drug abuse prevention: Theory, science, & practice (pp. 45–74). New York: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Botvin, G. J., Mihalic, S. F., & Grotpeter, J. K. (1998). Life skills training: Blueprints for violence prevention. In D. S. Elliott (Ed.), Blueprints for violence prevention: Book five. Boulder: University of Colorado, Institute of Behavioral Science, Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence.

    Google Scholar 

  • Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence: Institute of Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder. (2008). Blueprints for violence prevention. Retrieved August 11, 2008, from http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/blueprints/index.html.

  • Chen, H. T. (1990). Theory driven evaluations. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, L. & Coleman, J. (2002). The measurement of puberty: A review. Journal of Adolescence, 25, 535–550.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cook, P., MacCoun, R., Muschkin, C., & Vigdor, J. (2008). The negative impacts of starting middle school in sixth grade. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 27, 104–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dempster, A., Laird, N., & Rubin, D. (1977). Maximum likelihood from incomplete data via the EM algorithm. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series B, 39, 1–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. S. (1999). The development of children ages 6 to 14. The Future of Children, 9, 30–44.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ellickson, P. L. & Bell, R. M. (1990). Drug prevention in junior high: A multi-site longitudinal test. Science, 247, 1299–1305.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ellickson, P. L., Bell, R. M., & Harrison, E. R. (1993). Changing adolescent propensities to use drugs: Results from Project ALERT. Health Education Quarterly, 20, 227–242.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ellickson, P. L., Bell, R. M., & McGuigan, K. (1993). Preventing adolescent drug use: Long-term results of a junior high program. American Journal of Public Health, 83, 856–861.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ellickson, P. L., Bell, R. M., Thomas, M. A., Robyn, A. E., & Zellman, G. L. (1988). Designing and implementing Project ALERT: A smoking and drug prevention experiment. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellickson, P. L., McCaffrey, D. F., Ghosh-Dastidar, B., & Longshore, D. L. (2003). New inroads in preventing adolescent drug use: Results from a large-scale trial of Project ALERT in middle schools. American Journal of Public Health, 93, 1830–1836.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ellickson, P. L., Miller, L., Robyn, A., Wildflower, L. Z., & Zellman, G. L. (2004). Project ALERT: A drug prevention program for middle grades. Los Angeles: BEST Foundation for a Drug-Free Tomorrow.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flay, B. R. (1986). Efficacy and effectiveness trials (and other phases of research) in the development of health promotion programs. Preventive Medicine, 15, 451–474.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Galambos, N. L. & Almeida, D. M. (1992). Does parent-adolescent conflict increase in early adolescence? Journal of Marriage & Family, 54, 737–747.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh-Dastidar, B., Longshore, D. L., Ellickson, P. L., & McCaffrey, D. F. (2004). Modifying pro-drug risk factors in adolescents: Results from Project ALERT. Health Education & Behavior, 31, 318–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hantman, I. & Crosse, C. (2000). Progress in prevention: National study of local education activities under the Safe and Drug-free Schools and Communities Act. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Under Secretary, Planning and Evaluation Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heckman, J. J. (1976). The common structure of statistical models of truncation, sample selection and limited dependent variables and a simple estimator for such models. Annals of Economic and Social Measurement, 5, 475–492.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heckman, J. J. (1979). Sample selection bias as a specification error. Econometrica, 47, 153–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hser, Y.-I., Longshore, D., Brecht, M.-L., & Anglin, M. D. (2005). Studying the natural history of drug use. In Z. Sloboda (Ed.), Epidemiology of drug abuse (pp. 29–43). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Jang, S. L. (1999). Age-varying effect of family, school, and peers on delinquency: A multilevel modeling test of interactional theory. Criminology, 37, 643–685.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lipsey, M. W. (1999). Can rehabilitative programs reduce the recidivism of juvenile offenders? An inquiry into the effectiveness of practical programs. Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law, 6, 611–641.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray, D. M. (1998). Design and analysis of group-randomized trials. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA). (1998). Back to school 1998: National survey of American attitudes on substance abuse IV: Teens, teachers and principals. New York: Robert Wood Johnson.

    Google Scholar 

  • No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Pub. L. No. 107-110, 115 Stat 1425 (2002).

  • Pentz, M. A., Mihalic, S. F., & Grotpeter, J. K. (1998). The Midwestern Prevention Project: Blueprints for violence prevention. In D. S. Elliott (Ed.), Blueprints for violence prevention series: Book one. Boulder: University of Colorado, Institute of Behavioral Science, Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perry, C. L., Williams, C. L., Veblen-Mortenson, S., Toomey, T. L., Komro, K. A., Anstine, P. S., et al. (1996). Project Northland: Outcomes of a community wide alcohol use prevention program during early adolescence. American Journal of Public Health, 86, 956–965.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pride Surveys. (2002). Pride questionnaire report: 2001–02 National summary, Grades 6 through 12 Retrieved September 19, 2008, from http://www.pridesurveys.com/customercenter/natsum01.pdf.

  • Raudenbush, S. W. & Bryk, A. (2002). Hierarchical linear models (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rimm, S. B. (2005). Growing up too fast: The Rimm report on the secret world of America's middle schoolers. New York: Rodale.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ringwalt, C. L., Ennett, S., Vincus, A., Thorne, J., Rohrbach, L. A., & Simons-Rudolph, A. (2002). The prevalence of effective substance use prevention curricula in U.S. middle schools. Prevention Science, 3, 257–265.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ringwalt, C. L., Clark, H. K., Hanley, S., Shamblen, S. R., & Flewelling, R. L. (2009a). Project ALERT: A cluster randomized trial. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163, 625–632.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ringwalt, C. L., Vincus, A. A., Hanley, S., Ennett, S., Bowling, J., & Rohrbach, L. A. (2009b). The prevalence of evidence-based drug use prevention curricula in U.S. middle schools in 2005. Prevention Science, 10, 33–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Safe and Drug-free Schools Program. (1998). Notice of final principles of effectiveness. Fed Reg, 63, 104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanson-Fisher, R. W., Bonevski, B., Green, L. W., & D'Este, C. (2007). Limitations of the randomized controlled trial in evaluating population-based health interventions. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 33, 155–161.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • St. Pierre, T. L., Osgood, D. W., Mincemoyer, C. C., Kaltreider, D. L., & Kauh, T. J. (2005). Results of an independent evaluation of Project ALERT delivered in schools by cooperative extension. Prevention Science, 6, 305–317.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sussman, S., Rohrbach, L., & Mihalic, S. (2004). Project Towards No Drug Abuse: Blueprints for violence prevention. In D. S. Elliott (Ed.), Blueprints for violence prevention series: Book twelve. Boulder: University of Colorado, Institute of Behavioral Science, Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Census Bureau. (2003). United States Census 2000: Questionnaires. Retrieved May 11, 2009, from http://www.census.gov/dmd/www/2000quest.html.

  • U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. (n.d.). Common core of data (CCD): Public elementary/secondary school universe survey data [data file]. Available from national center for education statistics web site, from http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/pubschuniv.asp.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 1516 E. Franklin St., Suite 200, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, USA

    Chris L. Ringwalt, Heddy Kovach Clark, Sean Hanley & Robert L. Flewelling

  2. Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 1300 South 4th St., Suite 300, Louisville, KY, 40208, USA

    Stephen R. Shamblen

Authors
  1. Chris L. Ringwalt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Heddy Kovach Clark
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sean Hanley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Stephen R. Shamblen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Robert L. Flewelling
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chris L. Ringwalt.

Additional information

Funding for this study was provided by grants 2003-DR-FX-001 and 2007-JF-FX-0064 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ringwalt, C.L., Clark, H.K., Hanley, S. et al. The Effects of Project ALERT One Year Past Curriculum Completion. Prev Sci 11, 172–184 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-009-0163-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-009-0163-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation