Ariane L. Bedimo-Rung, PhD, MPH¹, Janet Rice, PhD², Richard Scribner, MD, MPH¹, and Deborah A. Cohen, MD, MPH³. (1) School of Public Health, Epidemiology Program, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1600 Canal Street, Suite 800, New Orleans, LA 70112, 504-599-1396, abedim@lsuhsc.edu, (2) Tulane University SPHTM, 1440 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, (3) Health, RAND Corporation, 1700 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405

Introduction: Results of school-based drug prevention programs designed to reduce smoking and drinking among adolescents are equivocal.

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to characterize individual- and school-level factors thought to influence adolescent substance use in a single model using a multilevel design and to investigate the influence of school-level factors on adolescent substance use independent of individual-level risk factors.

Methods: Data are from Wave I In-Home surveys of students in grades 7-12 and School Administrator Surveys of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Multi-level analysis was performed with students at Level 1 (N=16,850) and schools at Level 2 (N=132).

Results: Between-school differences explained between 4.7% and 7.4% of the variance in individual-level smoking and between 1.6% and 4.4% of the variance in individual-level drinking. None of the substance abuse programs or smoking policies was associated with less smoking in either grade level. None of the substance abuse programs had a significant effect on drinking in either grade level; however, the severity of the penalty for getting caught drinking was associated with less drinking in both upper and lower grades.

Conclusions: Using a multilevel design, these findings replicate a growing body of research that finds no effect for school-based substance abuse prevention programs (i.e. DARE). The majority of the variance in substance abuse attributed to the school level remains unexplained, suggesting there may be unmeasured factors at the school or in the community that explain the between-school differences in substance use.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to describe individual- and school-level influences thought to influence adolescent substance use.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Substance Abuse

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.