Sunday, December 20, 2009

NIDA Study Shows School-Based Prevention Program, Positive Action, Reduces Problem Behaviors in Fifth-Graders by Half

Researchers See Drop in Rates of Substance Abuse, Violence and Early Sexual Activity This abstraction provides acute affirmation that amid with adolescent accouchement is a able access to preventing biologic use and added botheration behaviors The actuality that an action alpha in the aboriginal brand produced a cogent aftereffect on children's behavior in the fifth brand strengthens the case for initiating blockage programs in elementary school, afore a lot of accouchement accept amorphous to appoint in botheration behaviors. This abstraction demonstrates that a comprehensive, academy advanced amusing and appearance development affairs can accept a abundant appulse on abbreviation botheration behaviors of accessible bloom accent in elementary-school-age youth I achievement these after-effects accord to an compassionate of the accent of accomplishing primary prevention

(Vocus/PRWEB ) June 25, 2009 -- A abstraction suggests that school-based blockage programs amorphous in elementary academy can decidedly abate botheration behaviors in students. Fifth graders who ahead alternate in a absolute alternate academy blockage affairs alleged Positive Action for one to four years were about bisected as acceptable to appoint in actuality abuse, agitated behavior, or animal action as those who did not crop allotment in the program. The study, accurate by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a basic of the National Institutes of Health, will appear in the August 2009 book affair of the American Journal of Public Health. The online adaptation of the article is arresting today.

"This abstraction provides acute affirmation that amid with adolescent accouchement is a able access to preventing biologic use and added botheration behaviors," said NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow. "The actuality that an action alpha in the aboriginal brand produced a cogent aftereffect on children's behavior in the fifth brand strengthens the case for initiating blockage programs in elementary school, afore a lot of accouchement accept amorphous to appoint in botheration behaviors."

The abstraction was conducted in 20 accessible elementary schools in Hawaii. Participating schools had below-average connected analysis array and assorted apprentice populations with an boilerplate of 55 percent of acceptance accepting chargeless or reduced-price lunches.

The action activated was Positive Action (PA), a absolute K-12 amusing and affecting development affairs for acceptable behavior and bookish achievement. Schools were about assigned from akin pairs to apparatus PA or not. The affairs consists of circadian 15-20 minute alternate acquaint absorption on such capacity as amenable self-management, accepting alternating with others, and self-improvement. At schools implementing the intervention, these acquaint active a absolute of about one hour a anniversary alpha in the aboriginal or additional grade.

In fifth grade, 976 acceptance (most age-old 10 or 11) responded to a accounting check that asked about their use of substances, including tobacco, alcohol, and adulterous drugs; captivation in agitated behaviors, such as accustomed a knife or aggressive someone; and autonomous animal activity. The absolute amount of acceptance advertisement that they had affianced in any of these behaviors was small. Strikingly, however, acceptance apparent to the PA affairs were about bisected as acceptable to address agreeable in any of these behaviors as acceptance not apparent to PA. Among acceptance who were apparent to PA, those who had accustomed the acquaint for three or added years appear the everyman ante of acquaintance with any of these botheration behaviors.

"This abstraction demonstrates that a comprehensive, academy advanced amusing and appearance development affairs can accept a abundant appulse on abbreviation botheration behaviors of accessible bloom accent in elementary-school-age youth," said Dr. Brian Flay of Oregon State University, the study's arch investigator.

PA is an alternate affairs that integrates teacher/student acquaintance and opportunities for the barter of account as able-bodied as acknowledgment and able criticism. The affairs is academy advanced and involves agents and parents as able-bodied as students. It takes a positive, holistic access to amusing and affecting development rather than absorption on the abrogating aspects of agreeable in actuality bribery and violence. Finally, at one hour a week, students' acknowledgment to the affairs was intensive. ''These appearance acceptable anniversary for the ample aftereffect observed,'' assured Dr. Flay.

Dr. Flay hopes to conduct a aftereffect abstraction to actuate whether the amiable accoutrement of the PA affairs on fifth graders are abiding as the accouchement abound older.

The absolute after-effects of this a lot of contempo abstraction of Positive Action reinforce recognitions of the affairs as an evidence-based action from the U.S. Department of Education What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP), and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). "I achievement these after-effects accord to an compassionate of the accent of accomplishing primary prevention," said Carol Gerber Allred, Ph.D. admiral and developer of Positive Action. Positive Action has been acclimated in over 13,000 schools nationally and internationally for added than 26 years.

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