Science as a Hook for Persuasive Health Messaging: A School-Based Science Education Curriculum On Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention

Theoretical Background and research questions/hypothesis: 

This paper presents the results of an effectiveness evaluation of a school-based, science education curriculum to prevent prescription drug abuse, which is a significant and escalating public health problem in the United States. Changes in educational policy in the U.S. have eroded the ability and willingness of schools to expose students with universal prevention information designed to promote healthy decision-making. Time-constrained, standards-driven classrooms report a lack of time to implement such optional subjects as health and prevention. Indeed, recent data suggest that only 25 percent of middle and high schools currently implement evidence-based drug prevention content in their classrooms. Nonetheless, school presents a “captive” audience of youth at ages when prevention messages may be most effective. New communication methods are needed to present effective, engaging health information in ways that more easily fit into the crowded school curriculum. Science education, where prevention content is linked to state and national standards of learning in science, may be one such approach.

Methods:  KDH Research & Communication received funding from NIH to develop POP-D, a prescription drug prevention program for 7^th and 8^th grade students. POP-D uses a science education approach to present persuasive information about the risks of prescription drug abuse through classroom and multimedia activities. The authors hypothesized that prescription drug abuse prevention lent itself to a science education approach because unique characteristics of prescription drugs may render ineffective the fundamental assumptions of existing prevention paradigms. These characteristics include: 1)  Prescription drugs are legal for all ages, and, when used as directed, are often beneficial. Prevention must not stigmatize the appropriate use of beneficial medications while clearly stating that abuse is dangerous. 2) Prescription drug use – safe and unsafe – is modeled openly throughout society. Sharing of prescription drugs frequently occurs among family members and friends. 3) Media messages about the ubiquity and safety of prescription drugs are prevalent in the form of direct to consumer advertising. U.S. residents see about 16 hours of prescription drug advertising on television per year. 4) There is evidence that prescription drugs are easy to obtain in the home. Fifty six percent of youth that abuse prescription drugs obtain them from friends or family at no charge. 5) There are misconceptions about the risks of these drugs: One-third of teens believe there is “nothing wrong” with occasionally using prescription drugs to get high. This presentation will first describe the development of POP-D, with a particular focus on how the curriculum incorporates and addresses the unique characteristics of prescription drug abuse and the communication methods POP-D uses to overcome barriers to school adoption.

Results: In addition, the presentation will present the evaluative results of the curriculum’s effectiveness, in which a pretest/post-test control group study assessed the statistical relationship between changes in seventh and eighth grade students’ knowledge, attitudes, and intentions about prescription drugs and their participation in the POP-D prototype.

Conclusions: The presentation will conclude with recommendations for implementing prescription drug abuse prevention programs on a national scale.

Implications for research and/or practice: Science education may be an effective health communication strategy.