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LifeSkills Training

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

The LifeSkills Training (LST) program is a school-based substance abuse prevention curriculum for middle and junior high school students. The LST program was developed in the late 1970s and aims to modify drug-related knowledge, attitudes, and norms; teach skills for resisting social influences that encourage drug use; and foster the development of general personal and social skills.

The LST program originally focused on preventing cigarette smoking, and the curriculum was later expanded to include preventing the use of alcohol and other drugs. Typically, the LST curriculum is taught over three consecutive school years, beginning in the 6th and 7th grade. The program consists of 15 lessons in the first year, followed by 10 “booster” lessons during the program’s second year and 5 booster lessons in the third year. The booster lessons are designed to reinforce earlier material and to provide additional opportunities for skill development and practice. Regular classroom teachers usually implement the LST curriculum; however, the program can also be implemented by outside health professionals or older student peers.

Goal / Mission

The goal of this program is to reduce substance abuse among adolescents.

Impact

Evaluations of LST showed significantly lower smoking, alcohol, and marijuana use 6 years after initial baseline assessment. Prevalence of use of these substances was 44% lower and weekly use of multiple drugs was 66% lower for those receiving LST than for the control students.

Results / Accomplishments

Large-scale, long-term outcome evaluations of LST showed significantly lower smoking, alcohol, and marijuana use 6 years after initial baseline assessment. Prevalence of use of these substances was 44 percent lower for those receiving LST than for the control students. Regular (weekly) use of multiple drugs was 66 percent lower for those receiving the program. The LST program has been extensively evaluated in more than a dozen federally funded studies and has been tested and proven effective among white, African-American, and Hispanic adolescents from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. The program was found effective when implemented under different scheduling formats, with different levels of project staff involvement, and whether the program providers are adults or peer leaders. Stronger prevention effects were found for students in the high-implementation fidelity group—that is, students who received 60 percent or more of the 30 lessons over the 3-year span. Another study found that the LST intervention reduced the growth of substance initiation among the treatment group.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
National Health Promotion Associates, Inc.
Primary Contact
National Health Promotion Associates
711 Westchester Avenue
White Plains, NY 10604
914-421-2525
lstinfo@nhpamail.com
http://www.lifeskillstraining.com
Topics
Health / Alcohol & Drug Use
Health / Adolescent Health
Organization(s)
National Health Promotion Associates, Inc.
Source
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Model Programs Guide (MPG)
Date of implementation
1975
For more details
Target Audience
Teens