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Keepin' it REAL

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Keepin' it REAL is a school-based program for 7th and 8th grade students that aims to reduce substance use by enhancing decision-making processes and resistance strategies and improving beliefs and attitudes regarding drugs. It emphasizes strategies represented in the acronym REAL through narrative and performance-based curriculum: Refuse offers to use substances, Explain why you do not want to use substances, Avoid situations in which substances are used, and Leave situations in which substances are used. The curriculum has 10 45-minute interactive lessons delivered over a 10-week period, including a series of five videos, and has been implemented in schools in all 50 states. Initially funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, keepin' it REAL was adopted and licensed by D.A.R.E. in 2009.

Goal / Mission

Keepin' it REAL aims to reduce adolescent alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco use.

Results / Accomplishments

A series of studies evaluated the effectiveness of the curriculum, and four main outcomes were measured: (1) alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use, (2) anti-substance use attitudes, (3) normative beliefs about substance use, and (4) substance use resistance. For all four outcomes, participants of Keepin' it REAL improved over control students. Findings included significantly lower alcohol use and a slower increase in marijuana use over time (p < 0.05), a statistically significant decrease in alcohol use and marijuana use (p<0.05), lower expectations of positive consequences of substance use and lower personal acceptance of drug use, and greater cigarette and marijuana resistance two and eight months after the intervention.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), Pennsylvania State University
Primary Contact
Michael Hecht
The Pennsylvania State University
Communication Arts and Sciences
501 Keller Building
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 360-1893
mlh10@psu.edu
http://www.kir.psu.edu/index.shtml
Topics
Health / Alcohol & Drug Use
Health / Adolescent Health
Organization(s)
D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), Pennsylvania State University
Date of publication
Mar 2007
Date of implementation
Sep 2009
Location
USA
For more details
http://legacy.nreppadmin.net/ViewIntervention.aspx...
http://www.kir.psu.edu/research/index.shtml
Target Audience
Teens
Additional Audience
Adolescents

Related Promising Practices

  1. Project Towards No Drug Abuse
  2. HeadOn
  3. Keepin' it R.E.A.L. (Refuse, Explain, Avoid, Leave)
  4. Michigan Model for Health
  5. Too Good for Drugs

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Related Content for: Keepin' it REAL

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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