An Effectiveness Trial of Project ALERT

Promising Programs for Substance Abuse Prevention: Replication and Evaluation Initiative

The purpose of this study is to replicate a longitudinal evaluation of Project ALERT, a substance abuse prevention program that targets middle school students.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Smoking; Alcohol Drinking; Marijuana Smoking
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Project ALERT

Detailed Description

Project ALERT is a substance abuse prevention program that targets middle school students. The purposes of this evaluation are to test its immediate and one-year effectiveness in a randomized experimental design that will span a total of 2.5 years for each of two cohorts. The cohorts are spaced one year apart to reduce our implementation and data collection burdens at any one time. The design for the two cohorts is identical. In schools randomly assigned to the treatment group, instructors receive Project ALERT training and materials prior to beginning the program and have access to technical assistance on request. In schools randomly assigned to the control group, teachers implement whatever substance abuse prevention curricula they normally would (if any).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 8338
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • North Carolina
    • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27514
      • Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• schools with 6th-8th grades housed together on a common campus
• schools with 6th grade student population of at least 100 students
• schools with no current 6th, 7th, or 8th grade implementation of any drug prevention curriculum recognized as a model program by a federally-sponsored registry
• all regular education students in the targeted grade must participate

Exclusion Criteria:

• students in self-contained classrooms (i.e., special education classes)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group; Did not receive Project ALERT
Experimental: Treatment group; Received Project ALERT	Behavioral: Project ALERT; Project ALERT (Adolescent Learning Experiences in Resistance Training) is a drug prevention curriculum designed for middle-school students (11 to 14 years old). The 11 lessons in the first year and 3 booster lessons in the second year focus on alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and inhalants - the substances that adolescents are most likely to use. Project ALERT uses participatory activities and videos to help motivate youth to avoid drug use, to teach youth skills and strategies to resist peer pressures to use drugs, and to establish social norms against drug-use. More information about Project ALERT may be found at http://www.projectalert.best.org/.; Other Names: Adolescent Learning Experiences in Resistance Training

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Self-reported 30-day Use of Alcohol	Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. They were asked on how many days they had used alcohol in the previous 30 days. Response options included "none," "1 or 2 days in the last month," "3 to 5 days in the last month," "6 to 19 days in the last month," and "20 or more days in the last month." Response options were dichotomized into none and at least one day.	measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed
Self-reported 30-day Use of Cigarettes	Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. They were asked on how many days they had smoked cigarettes in the previous 30 days. Response options included "none," "1 or 2 days in the last month," "3 to 5 days in the last month," "6 to 19 days in the last month," and "20 or more days in the last month." Response options were dichotomized into none and at least one day.	measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed
Self-reported 30-day Marijuana Use	Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. They were asked on how many days they had used marijuana in the previous 30 days. Response options included "none," "1 or 2 days in the last month," "3 to 5 days in the last month," "6 to 19 days in the last month," and "20 or more days in the last month." Response options were dichotomized into none and at least one day.	measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed
Self-reported 30-day Inhalant Use	Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. They were asked on how many days they had used inhalants in the previous 30 days. Response options included "none," "1 or 2 days in the last month," "3 to 5 days in the last month," "6 to 19 days in the last month," and "20 or more days in the last month." Response options were dichotomized into none and at least one day.	measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed
Self-reported Lifetime Alcohol Use	Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. To assess lifetime use, we asked if the respondent had ever used alcohol (yes or no).	measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed
Self-reported Lifetime Cigarette Use	Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. To assess lifetime use, we asked if the respondent had ever smoked cigarettes (yes or no).	measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed
Self-reported Lifetime Marijuana Use	Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. To assess lifetime use, we asked if the respondent had ever used marijuana (yes or no).	measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed
Self-reported Lifetime Inhalant Use	Students completed an 81-item self-report questionnaire. To assess lifetime use, we asked if the respondent had ever used inhalants (yes or no).	measured approximately 30 days after intervention completed

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Chris L Ringwalt, DrPH, Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation; Study Director: Heddy K Clark, Ph.D., Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Ringwalt CL, Clark HK, Hanley S, Shamblen SR, Flewelling RL. Project ALERT: a cluster randomized trial. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009 Jul;163(7):625-32. doi: 10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.88.

Helpful Links

• Project ALERT website

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: May 1, 2004
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2008
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2008

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 31, 2008
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 1, 2008
• First Posted (Estimate): April 2, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): June 13, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 5, 2013
• Last Verified: June 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: alcohol; smoking; prevention; prevention & control
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Drinking Behavior; Substance-Related Disorders; Alcohol Drinking; Marijuana Use
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2003-DR-FX-001; 2007-JF-FX-0064 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Dept. of Justice, OJJDP)