Drug use prevention projects in schools in Vitória, Brazil: quality analysis and improvement proposals

Abstract

Adolescents living in vulnerable regions are more exposed to risk factors for drug use. The prevention of such use in school is a public policy that needs evaluation. Based on technical criteria and derived from a mixed research, this article analyses the quality of school-based prevention of drug use in Vitória, state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, and proposes improvements. A checklist of quality elements was completed with data from 16 projects proposed by 99 teachers from public schools. In 10 projects (62.5%), the approximate quality index was above 0.50. The majority of projects fulfilled the requirement of theoretical foundation (81.25%) and some of the methodological (93.75%), design (75%) and implementation (62%) requirements. Other requirements were absent: the majority were not designed by the whole school community (87.5%), and the participation of the family (62.5%) or the students as mediators (62.5%) was not considered. In general, contents of life skills (87.5%), positive relationships and alternative activities to drug use (56.25%) were not included. Activities for reinforcing the content were not described in any of the projects, and evaluation activities were described in only a few (31.25%). Many projects did not describe the inclusion of the project in the school curriculum (62.5%). Although, considering all items of effectiveness, regardless of their weight, more than half of the projects had an above average quality. The present items provide quality to the projects, whereas absent items indicate shortcomings to be improved using some of the measures described in this study.

Work Climate Scale in Emergency Services: Abridged Version

“…Finally, item 10, “we develop our skills and knowledge”, covers the information from the deleted item 5, “we have experience to do our work well”, as developing skills and knowledge implies having the necessary experience to perform the job well. Therefore, work satisfaction would comprehend information related to (a) the feeling of pride; (b) the relevance of each professional in his or her job [ 58 ]; (c) the effort made to achieve successful results [ 59 ], which not only influences job satisfaction [ 60 ], but life satisfaction in general [ 61 ]; and (d) the development of workers’ skills and knowledge [ 62 ]. This factor can be useful for identifying a worker’s job satisfaction level.…”

Study Protocol of a School-Based Randomized Controlled Trial to Promote Cycling to School Among Students in Germany Using Intervention Mapping: The ACTS Project

“…Altogether, using the IM protocol to systematically plan an intervention is a time-consuming and complex procedure for researchers ( 59 , 62 , 63 ) but recommendable as it increases the chance to achieve the defined aim(s) of a planned intervention ( 12 , 63 ). We suppose that the planned intervention adequately matches the needs of students aged 12–15 years grade 7 or 8 at secondary schools in Southern Germany, covering different educational levels (i.e., intermediate and high) and located in different municipalities urbanized to different levels.…”

“…However, interventions in this research field are not well established ( 9 ) and especially interventions implemented in secondary schools ( 10 ) involving two grade levels from grade 7 upward ( 11 ) are lacking. Previous research recommended the stepwise structured intervention mapping protocol (IM) when planning interventions to change behavior ( 12 ). According to this conceptual review, the IM protocol uses theories and evidence, follows a social–ecological approach to intervene at multiple levels, and is characterized by involving the target group and all relevant stakeholders using a participatory approach.…”

A Systematic Review of the Development and Psychometric Properties of Loneliness Measures for Children and Adolescents

“…Measure development literature recommends inductive and deductive methods during item creation, to limit contamination and support valid depiction of relations to other constructs [ 12 , 13 ]. The three main steps of measure development are (1) specifying observable characteristics, (2) determining the extent to which they measure the same thing using empirical research and statistical analysis, and (3) performing experiments to determine the extent to which measures are consistent with established views of the construct [ 14 ].…”