One-year follow-up results of the STARS for Families alcohol prevention program

• Published in: Health education research 2003-02, Vol.18 (1), p.74-87
• Main Authors: Werch, C. E., Owen, D. M., Carlson, J. M., DiClemente, C. C., Edgemon, P., Moore, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Alcohol Abuse; Alcohol Drinking - prevention & control; Alcohol Education; Case-Control Studies; Child; Cohort Studies; Control Groups; Drinking; Drug Use; Epistemology; Family (Sociological Unit); Family - psychology; Family based; Female; Florida; Follow-Up Studies; Followup Studies; Grade 6; Grade 8; Health Behavior; Health Education - organization & administration; Health Services; Health technology assessment; Humans; Magnet Schools; Male; Mental Health Programs; Middle Schools; Modeling (Psychology); Neighborhood Schools; Nurses; ORIGINAL ARTICLES; Parent Materials; Physicians; Preventive programmes; Primary Health Care; Program Evaluation; Psychotherapy; Randomized Controlled Trials; Resistance (Psychology); Risk Reduction Behavior; School Health Services - organization & administration; Students; Surveys and Questionnaires; Urban Population; Urban Schools; USA
• ISSN: 0268-1153; 1465-3648; 1465-3648
• DOI: 10.1093/her/18.1.74

This study examined the 1-year follow-up effects of the STARS (Start Taking Alcohol Risks Seriously) for Families program, a 2-year preventive intervention based on a stage of acquisition model, and consisting of nurse consultations and parent materials. A randomized controlled trial was conducted, with participants receiving either the intervention or a minimal intervention control. Participants included a cohort of 650 sixth-grade students from two urban middle schools—one magnet (bused) and one neighborhood. Trained project staff administered questionnaires to students following a standardized protocol in the schools. For the magnet school sample, significantly fewer intervention students (5%) were planning to drink in the next 6 months than control students (18%), χ2 = 11.53, 1 d.f., P = 0.001. Magnet school intervention students also had less intentions to drink in the future, greater motivation to avoid drinking and less total alcohol risk than control students, Ps < 0.05. For the neighborhood school, intervention students (m = 7.90, SD = 1.87) had less total alcohol risk than control students (m = 8.42, SD = 1.83), F(1,205) = 4.09, P = 0.04. These findings suggest that a brief, stage and risk/protective factor tailored program holds promise for reducing risk for alcohol use among urban school youth 1 year after intervention, and has the unique advantage of greater ‘transportability’ over classroom-based prevention programs.