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School‐based alcohol education: results of a cluster‐randomized controlled trial
Author(s) -
Morgenstern Matthis,
Wiborg Gudrun,
Isensee Barbara,
Hanewinkel Reiner
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2008.02471.x
Subject(s) - binge drinking , intervention (counseling) , alcohol education , randomized controlled trial , cluster randomised controlled trial , poison control , psychology , suicide prevention , alcohol , cluster (spacecraft) , injury prevention , unit of alcohol , alcohol consumption , medicine , clinical psychology , psychiatry , environmental health , nursing , surgery , biochemistry , chemistry , computer science , programming language
Objective This study aimed to examine the effects of a school‐based alcohol education intervention. Design Two‐arm three‐wave cluster‐randomized controlled trial, with schools as the unit for randomization. Surveys were conducted prior to intervention implementation, then 4 and 12 months after baseline. Setting A total of 30 public schools in Schleswig‐Holstein, Germany. Participants Baseline data were obtained from 1686 7th graders. The retention rate was 85% over 12 months. Intervention The intervention consisted of four interactive lessons conducted by teachers, booklets for students and booklets for parents. Measures Knowledge, attitudes, life‐time alcohol consumption (ever use alcohol without parental knowledge, ever been drunk and ever binge drinking) and past‐month alcohol use. Results Intention‐to‐treat analyses revealed that intervention status was associated with more general knowledge about alcohol and lower levels of life‐time binge drinking. No effects were found with respect to students' self‐reported attitudes, intentions to drink, life‐time alcohol use and past‐month alcohol use. Conclusions The results indicate that this brief school‐based intervention had a small short‐term preventive effect on alcohol misuse.