Identifying the Outcomes of Prevention: Results of a Longitudinal Study in a Small City School District

Grade level choices for survey administration were guided by a mix of practical access issues and critical risk stages identified in the research literature. The community population was predominantly blue collar and white. Survey questionnaires sought information on drug use patterns and school drug prevention efforts. Results indicated that younger students increasingly delayed their entry into the use of alcohol and other drugs. Older students also showed some decline in alcohol and other drug use, comparable to data reported nationally, but heavy and regular use of both alcohol and marijuana persisted among a substantial minority. Consideration is paid to the perceived effectiveness of the community's drug prevention efforts and implications of these efforts for further programming. 21 references and 4 tables