The Marijuana Action Maze (MAM) is a computerized simulation game designed to aid drug decision-making skills development. Practicing school health educators, practicing community health educators, and educational software experts assessed the importance, feasibility, desirability, and achievement of the MAM's developmental goals, rated its…

Discusses the competing definitions and issues surrounding various designer drugs, primarily 3, 4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA). Offers a rationale for why interest in MDMA, which possesses both stimulant and psychedelic properties, will continue to grow despite the drug's recent illegality and increasing evidence of neurotoxicity.…

Discusses ways of encouraging parents to take a larger role in the prevention of chemical dependency in their children. Describes four types of parents who may use resistance and denial before becoming involved in parent support groups: apathetic, burned-out, intimidated, and resigned. (JAC)

Explores some of the explanations for drug use and abuse including environmental influences, models and the influence of family, society and peers, personal criteria, and drugs themselves. Discusses what schools have done and should do in each area. (JAC)

Discusses the need for preservice and inservice teacher training in drug education methods, incorporating the principles of psychology, sociology, health science and communications. Outlines topics for inclusion such as responsibility for drug education, theories of drug use, legal aspects, family influence and community action. (JAC)

Studied the efficacy of two drug education programs for 41 seventh graders who were provided with either a traditional or an assertiveness drug prevention program. While both groups showed significant gains in knowledge, only those in the assertiveness group demonstrated significant changes in drug attitudes. (JAC)

Revealed sixth grade is the optimal time to provide education for smoking prevention. Sixth graders are characterized by a relative lack of knowledge of the effects of smoking, unfamiliarity with parents' attitudes, and evidence that many students in this grade intend to smoke within the next five years. (Author/BL)

Introduces the Minnesota Model of chemical dependency treatment, describes the Hazelden Counselor Training Program, and summarizes trainee characteristics and survey follow-up findings of 100 former trainees. (Author/BL)

Details theoretical standpoint, procedures, and instruments used to evaluate school-based substance abuse prevention in New York City. Discusses outcome measures and argues that the process by which the outcome behavioral change was achieved must be explored before the outcomes are certified as beneficial and appropriate for an educational…

Suggests that the difference between the pre- and post-actual SDA (smoking, drug, alcohol) behavior of experimental and control groups be used as a major criterion for short-term effectiveness evaluation of SDA preventive education programs aimed at high school adolescents. Results and data analysis of a case study support this methodology.…

Reports the drug involvement of students in an alternative high school. Students include those transferred for behavior problems or dropouts returning to complete school. Drug use rates are exceptionally high, with significantly higher lifetime prevalence for nearly every drug. Current use of drugs is also very high. (Author/ABB)

Evaluates SPECDA (School Program to Educate and Control Drug Abuse) a comprehensive substance abuse prevention program which links drug counselors and police officers in teams to provide drug education. Results indicated significant positive changes in children's knowledge about drugs, attitudes toward drugs, and attitudes toward polic officers…

Surveyed 205 Nigerian parents to examine knowledge and acceptance of drug education programs. Results showed only 41 percent of the parents want drug education in the schools, and 83 percent thought parents should take primary responsibility. (JAC)

Describes the theoretical framework, measurement properties, predictive power, and reliability and validity of the Drug Education School Evaluation Instrument (DESEI), used to determine the effectiveness of the North Carolina Drug Education Schools. The DESEI is included. (BH)

Examines results of health education surveys over four testing periods (1977, 1979, 1981, 1983) for approximately 10,000 Canadian students in grades seven, nine, 11, and 13. Results showed students' knowledge scores on drugs were lower than any other health issue, although they were receiving some drug education each year in school. (BH)