Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT00612482

Youth Substance Use Prevention/Reduction Through Science-based Drug Abuse Education

Our primary goal is to conduct a pilot study of the effects of a new potential strategy for youth substance abuse prevention - science-based drug education integrated into the high school science curriculum. Through this pilot study we propose to: (1) demonstrate that this new strategy shows promise, and (2) estimate the effect size for the intervention.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Substance Abuse Chemically-Induced Disorders Mental Disorders Substance-Related Disorders

Age range

14 year–19 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 1

Primary location

Children's Hospital Boston

Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States

About this study

NIDA, in recent years, has put resources into summarizing and synthesizing cutting-edge medical and basic science research discoveries about the short-term and long-term effects of drug use on the developing brain. One outcome of this results was the production of a science-based drug education program entitled "The Brain: Understanding Neurobiology Through the Study of Addiction." This is a 5-lesson module for high school science classes that teaches about brain structure and function, how drugs affect and change the biology and chemistry of the brain, how addiction occurs in the brain, and that addiction is a chronic, recurring disease. However, the effect of receipt of this program on students' substance use knowledge, attitudes, perceived risk of harm, and behavior has not been systematically evaluated to date.

The specific aims of this project are:

  • To evaluate the effects of receipt of the curriculum on specific cognitive contributors to substance use including a)students' knowledge about the short- and long-term effects of substance use on the brain; b)perceived risk of harm from substance use; and c)intention to use substances in the next 3 months.
  • To evaluate the effects of the intervention on actual substance use behavior. We hypothesize that the effectiveness of this approach may be modified by the students' level of prior and current substance use, with the effect being stronger among those who have not already initiated use, or among those who have very low use. Therefore, we will specifically examine whether the intervention a)prevents substance use initiation among students who had no previous use, b)stops use among students with low lifetime use, and c) reduces use among those with higher levels of use.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Student in 9th/10th/11th grade science classes at Fenway High School at start of study or student in 11th grade science classes at Boston Arts Academy at start of study
  • Parental permission to participate

Exclusion criteria

  • No parental permission to participate
  • Unable to read English

Treatment and study plan

drug prevention curriculum

Other

Participants in the "experimental" arm of the study will receive the 5-lesson, science-based drug prevention curriculum in their science classes.

Primary outcomes

  1. Lifetime, past 6 month and past 30 day use of substances

    Time frame: Pre-intervention, immediate post-intervention, 6-7 month post-intervention

Secondary outcomes

  1. Frequency and quantity of substance use

    Time frame: Pre-intervention, immediate post-intervention, 6-7 months post-intervention

  2. Knowledge about effects of substance use on the brain

    Time frame: Pre-intervention, immediate post-intervention, 6-7 months post-intervention

  3. Perceived risk of harm of substance use

    Time frame: Pre-intervention, immediate post-intervention, 6-7 months post-intervention

  4. Intention to use substances in the next 3 months

    Time frame: Pre-intervention, immediate post-intervention, 6-7 months post-intervention

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Boston Children's Hospital

Other

Collaborators

  • Boston Public Schools

Registry information

Official study title

Youth Substance Use Prevention/Reduction Through Science-based Drug Abuse Education: A High School Pilot Study

Important dates

Study start
2006
Primary completion
2008
Study completion
2008
First posted
Feb 11, 2008
Registry last updated
Mar 14, 2011

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.