Tailored Interventions to Prevent Substance Abuse

Overview

The overarching objective of this research is to prevent substance use in early adolescents through the use of innovative interactive interventions tailored to each individual's particular risk profile for using cigarettes and alcohol. The specific aims are: (1) To test the effectiveness of the computer-based profile-based tailored interventions to keep early adolescents smoke-free compared to a comparison group; (2) To test the effectiveness of the computer-based profile-based tailored interventions to keep early adolescents from using alcohol compared to a comparison group; and (3) To replicate findings that the tailored diet and physical activity interventions will be effective in reducing these two high risk behaviors as part of the comparison condition.

Research across age groups (elementary, middle and high school), populations (U.S., U.K., and Israel), and substances (tobacco, alcohol and other drugs) has consistently identified four clusters of non-users who vary in their risks for substance use: (1) Most Protected from substance use; (2) High Risk to use substances; (3) Ambivalent about staying substance free; and (4) Risk Denial about substance use. These profiles have demonstrated both internal and external validity as well as good ability to predict future substance use and, therefore, provide an opportunity to develop a new approach to prevention. These profiles will be employed as the basis for designing two innovative computer-based interventions to prevent substance abuse by adolescents. The two new tailored interventions (smoking prevention and alcohol prevention) will be developed and tested in a school-based clinical trial. The comparison group will receive two previously developed and tested tailored health behavior interventions (diet and physical activity).