Universal prevention of alcohol and drug use: An overview of reviews in an Australian context

Mewton, Louise; Visontay, Rachel; Chapman, Cath; Newton, Nicola C.; Slade, Tim; Kay‐Lambkin, Frances; Teesson, Maree

doi:10.1111/dar.12694

Cited by 33 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 71 publications

(109 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The good news is, prevention programs targeted at younger adolescents are effective . Young people are waiting longer than ever before to drink or take drugs .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Alcohol and other drug prevention for older adolescents: It's a no brainer

Debenham

Newton

Birrell

et al. 2019

Drug and Alcohol Review

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Older adolescence represents a critical period of brain development whereby the prefrontal cortex, responsible for higher level thinking and emotional regulation, is under construction. During this period, the brain is wired to underestimate risk and overestimate pleasure, which primes young people towards risky, pleasure-oriented experiences. Substance use during this time can hinder brain maturation and lead to development related disorders. However, young people are the most likely to drink at risky quantities, use cannabis, MDMA and cocaine in the previous 12 months than any other age group. Despite this, there are no validated, age-appropriate prevention programs targeting school leavers, which leaves a group of young people to navigate a landscape where drug use is the most common, without formal support. Drug and alcohol prevention programs should be developed for this age group that combine features of universal prevention programs and targeted intervention programs to support the wider range of drug use behaviours relevant to this older audience. This article outlines potential evidence-based strategies that programs could focus on in the future. [Debenham J, Newton N, Birrell L, Askovic M. Alcohol and other drug prevention for older adolescents: It's a no brainer. Drug Alcohol Rev 2019;38:327-330]

show abstract

“…The good news is, prevention programs targeted at younger adolescents are effective . Young people are waiting longer than ever before to drink or take drugs .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…those received up until Grade 10) can diminish or even disappear by late secondary school unless they are supplemented by additional program input . Moreover, within programs of established effectiveness, sub‐groups remain resistant to the program .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol and other drug prevention for older adolescents: It's a no brainer

Debenham

Newton

Birrell

et al. 2019

Drug and Alcohol Review

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This suggests that students are interested in neuroscience and the effects of drugs on the brain. Often in universal AOD education, there remains a subgroup of disengaged students, immune from programme effects48; however, this pilot study demonstrates that neuroscience explanations can provide an inclusive medium to engage all students regardless of AOD risk level. Further exemplified by several students’ comments, stating that their favourite part of the programme was how ‘TIP made [the link between mental health and substance use] scientific, because it removed the stigma from drug use’.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

A pilot study of a neuroscience-based, harm minimisation programme in schools and youth centres in Australia

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ObjectivesThe primary aim is to evaluate the feasibility of a newly developed, neuroscience-based, alcohol and other drug (AOD) use prevention programme, ‘The Illicit Project’, in Australian older adolescents. The secondary aim is to investigate the impact of the programme on students’ drug literacy levels (a combination of knowledge, attitudes and skills).DesignA pilot study examining the feasibility of The Illicit Project in Australian schools was conducted.ParticipantsStudents aged 15–19 years from two secondary schools and a youth centre and 11 teachers and health professionals from various organisations in Sydney were recruited.InterventionThe intervention consisted of three 90 min workshops delivered by trained facilitators within a month.Primary and secondary measuresStudents completed a drug literacy questionnaire before and after intervention. All participants (students, teachers and health professionals) completed an evaluation questionnaire postprogramme delivery. A paired-sample t-test and descriptive analytics were performed.ResultsStudents (n=169) demonstrated a significant increase in drug literacy levels from preintervention to postintervention (t(169) = −13.22, p<0.0001). Of students evaluating the programme (n=252), over threequarters agreed that The Illicit Project was good or very good (76%), that the neuroscience content was interesting (76%) and relevant (81%), and that they plan to apply the concepts learnt to their own lives (80%). In addition, all teachers and health professionals (n=11) agreed that the programme was feasible and valid for schools and perceived the programme to be effective in reducing the harms and use of AOD.ConclusionsThere is evidence to suggest that The Illicit Project is credible and feasible in the school environment and there are preliminary data to suggest it may help to improve drug literacy levels in young people. A large-scale evaluation trial of the intervention will be conducted to determine the programme’s effectiveness in minimising the harms of AOD in older adolescents.

show abstract

“…A universal prevention approach, which lowers the likelihood of the development of problematic behavior in the total population, is likely to be useful in curbing the total number of problematic gamers. Universal prevention is widely used in other substance abuse disorders, with scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of prevention programs and policies (Mewton et al., 2018; US Department of Health and Human Services, 2016). Having said that, if a standardized screener was available, high-risk individuals could be identified for effective intervention as a parallel public health measure.…”

Section: Public Health Implications Of Problematic Gamingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time to call for a global public health approach in prevention of the onset and progression of problematic gaming

Chung¹,

Sum²,

Chan³

2018

J Behav Addict

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Problematic video gaming is a global problem. Policy and programs responses to the problem vary among countries, partly due to cultural differences in the east and the west, meaning that caution is needed in drawing comparisons. Promoting parental education and positive youth development would be a useful approach to curb problematic behavior among children and adolescents. We suggest using a public health approach, based on our experience in dealing with commodities, which are harmful to health.

show abstract

Universal prevention of alcohol and drug use: An overview of reviews in an Australian context

Abstract: The evidence base for universal prevention in several settings could be strengthened, guiding priorities for future research.

Cited by 33 publications

References 71 publications

Alcohol and other drug prevention for older adolescents: It's a no brainer

Alcohol and other drug prevention for older adolescents: It's a no brainer

A pilot study of a neuroscience-based, harm minimisation programme in schools and youth centres in Australia

Time to call for a global public health approach in prevention of the onset and progression of problematic gaming

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About