Profile Updated:
Summary: This is a school-based life skills training curriculum aimed at developing middle-school students’ social skills and competencies for resisting and reducing tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use. The program is rated Promising for reducing marijuana use. (Review the full program description).
| Title | Rating | Details | Outcome Category | Study(ies) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marijuana use |
Promising |
Overall, reported marijuana use (lifetime use and past 30-day use) decreased for youth who participated in the program compared with youth in the control group who did not participate in the program based on multiple measures from the study. This difference was statistically significant. |
Drugs and Substance Abuse; Use of Illegal Substances; Marijuana/Cannabis Use | Eisen, Marvin, Gail L. Zellman, and David M. Murray. 2003. “Evaluating the Lions–Quest ‘Skills for Adolescence’ Drug Education Program: Second-Year Behavior Outcomes.” Addictive Behaviors 28(5):883–97. See evaluation methods. |
Program Goals/Target Population
Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence (SFA) is a comprehensive youth development program that unites educators, parents, and community members to help adolescents develop social skills and competencies for resisting drug use. The program is designed for schoolwide classroom implementation in grades 6–8 (ages 10–14).
The program operates based on three specific goals: 1) prevent or significantly delay the initiation of “gateway” (alcohol, tobacco, marijuana) drug use during the program; 2) reduce the frequency or amount of substances used by those who do initiate use before or during the program; and 3) prevent or delay the progression to more “advanced” substance use (e.g., binge drinking, regular smoking, and regular marijuana use) or “hard” (cocaine, crack, inhalants) drug use.. The program strives to promote the development of capable, healthy young people of strong character in the school environment to prevent or delay substance use.
Program Components
SFA focuses on the development of essential social and emotional competencies, good citizenship skills, strong positive character, skills and attitudes consistent with a drug-free lifestyle, and an ethic of service to others within a caring and consistent environment. Accordingly, program elements focus on building self-esteem and personal responsibility, communicating effectively, making better decisions, resisting social influences and asserting rights, and increasing drug use knowledge and consequences. The learning model employs inquiry, presentation, discussion, group work, guided practice, service learning, and reflection to accomplish the desired outcomes. SFA has a five-component structure for addressing protective factors that promote healthy, safe, and drug-free behaviors and risk factors for reducing substance use, violence, and other high-risk behaviors:
- Classroom curriculum of up to 103 skill-building lessons. Implementation models range from a condensed 9-week, 40-lesson mini-course (35–45 minutes per session) to a 3-year program of all 103 lessons; 45-minute lessons are arranged in eight sequential thematic units and a service-learning unit that extends throughout the curriculum.
- Parent and family involvement. Parents and families participate through shared homework assignments, four parent meetings, a book for parents, and direct involvement in school activities.
- Positive school climate. School staff, students, parents, and community members establish a school climate committee to reinforce curriculum themes through schoolwide events.
- Community involvement. School staff, parents, Lions Clubs, and other service organizations participate in training workshops, school climate events, panel discussions, service projects, and parent meetings.
- Professional development. Each implementer must attend an introductory 2- or 3-day workshop to receive program materials.
Key Personnel
Ongoing program success requires a school district–level advocate and the district’s acceptance of financial responsibility, an onsite program coordinator, continued support for school staff, and ongoing program evaluation. Funding from Lions Clubs and other sources is vital, as is participation from parents and community members.
Program Theory
The SFA program is designed using social influence and social–cognitive approaches to teach cognitive–behavioral skills to youth—specifically, drug-refusal skills. Accordingly, elements and processes use techniques to strengthen students’ behavioral intentions not to use drugs in the near future, to increase the perceived harm of drug use, to increase their belief in their ability to refuse drugs, and to decrease perceptions that using drugs makes it easier to fit in. The program is based on the theory that these techniques will enable students to resist peer pressure to use drugs, while simultaneously promoting a more ethical school environment.
Study Title: Evaluating the Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence drug education program. Second-year behavior outcomes (which is associated with outcome Marijuana use)
Eisen, Zellman, and Murray (2003) conducted a longitudinal randomized controlled trial of Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence (SFA) for the National Institute on Drug Abuse to assess the program’s effectiveness in deterring and delaying students’ substance use through middle school in comparison to usual drug education programming. Thirty-four middle schools were selected for the study during the fall and winter of 1997–1998, including schools in Baltimore, Md.; Detroit, Mich.; Los Angeles, Calif.; and Washington, D.C. The sample population totaled 7,426 sixth graders, and a baseline survey was conducted with all actively consented sixth graders in each school in the spring of 1998. Based on the survey’s results, schools were pair-matched within each district, based on reported prevalence of any recent (within the previous 30 days) substance use (tobacco, alcohol, or other illicit drugs). Accordingly, schools were divided into a treatment group and a control group, each comprising 17 schools. The study cohort in the 17 treatment schools received only SFA as their seventh-grade drug education during the 1998–1999 school year, while their counterparts in the 17 control schools received their usual drug education programming. The comparison programs, which were generally left to the discretion of teachers in each school, ranged from school assemblies, to local teacher–devised classroom curricula, to Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) exposure.
To monitor the program’s progress, 1-year posttest data (baseline to end of the intervention school year) was collected from 6,239 seventh graders in May and June of 1999. One-year follow-up data (i.e., 1 year post-intervention) were collected at the end of eighth grade, in May and June of 2000. To assess evidence of the program’s effectiveness, 1-year follow-up data was used to compare drug use outcomes between SFA and control schools from spring of 1998 through spring of 2000. Initiation of “ever” and “recent” use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other illegal substances (“any other” drugs, including inhalants and cocaine or crack) for baseline nonusers and changes in recent use for baseline were compared using mixed-model regressions to control for school clustering. “Ever” was defined as having ever used the substance in one’s lifetime, while “recent” was defined as use within 30 days prior to data collection. In addition to these measures, alcohol use rates were measured by the occurrence of recent binge drinking (three or more drinks at one time in the previous 30 days). Alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use prevalence rates were assessed through a set of standard items that was modified, when necessary, following pretesting with the target population. Use of each substance was measured, with items having five- to seven-point ordinal response categories (e.g., “never” or “none” to “more than 100 cigarettes [more than 5 packs]”). These ordinal indicators of lifetime and recent substance use were then recoded to 0=no/1=yes response categories.
The study also measured potential changes in behavioral and refusal skills by assessing students’ behavioral intentions to use drugs, social influences and interpersonal perceptions, perception of harmful drug effects, and communication skills and self-efficacy regarding drug use refusal. Behavioral intentions to use tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine in the following 3 months were assessed using several items regarding such intentions (1=definitely yes to 4=definitely no). Social influence and interpersonal perceptions were assessed using standard questions on students’ normative beliefs about the prevalence of substance use by a best friend (yes/no/I don’t know), friends in general, and same-grade peers (1=all to 5=none), as well as a three-item scale on whether using alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana makes it easier to ‘‘fit in’’ (1=strongly agree to 5=strongly disagree). Perceptions of the harmful or helpful effects of alcohol, binge drinking, smoking, marijuana, and cocaine were assessed with three-item scales focusing on whether each substance helps or harms one’s health, ability to relax, and popularity (1=very helpful to 4=very harmful). Students’ sense of self-efficacy in refusing alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and cocaine in various situations (e.g., “ … how easy or hard would it be to say ‘no’ to marijuana if you are at party with friends/at close friend’s house—no parents home/hanging out with friends after school—not at someone’s house?”) was measured using separate three-item scales. These items were developed after careful review and content analysis of the SFA communication and resistance skills classroom curriculum and role-play exercises used in the eight key sessions. Subgroup analyses were conducted to examine the impact of the program on baseline binge drinkers.
Citation: Eisen, Marvin, Gail L. Zellman, and David M. Murray. 2003. “Evaluating the Lions–Quest ‘Skills for Adolescence’ Drug Education Program: Second-Year Behavior Outcomes.” Addictive Behaviors 28(5):883–97.
Other Findings
The following outcomes were considered in the scored study, but CrimeSolutions Study Reviewers determined the evidence was insufficient for a rating to be assigned:
- Behavioral intention to use alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, or cocaine/crack.
- Refusal self-efficacy of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, or cocaine use.
- Other illicit substance use (lifetime and 30-day use)
- Alcohol use (lifetime use, 30-day use, and binge drinking)
- Tobacco use (lifetime and 30-day use)
Subgroup Analysis
Eisen, Zellman, and Murray (2003) conducted subgroup analyses to examine the impact that Skills for Adolescence (SFA) training made on outcomes for self-reported baseline binge drinkers. Binge drinkers in the treatment group were less likely to report binge drinking (three or more drinks at once) in the past 30 days, compared with binge drinkers in the control group, at the 1-year follow-up. This difference was statistically significant. However, there were no statistically significant differences in past 30-day alcohol, cigarette, marijuana, or other illicit drug use or marijuana, alcohol, cigarette, or cocaine refusal skills at the 1-year follow-up.
In addition, there were no statistically significant differences between the treatment group and control group baseline non–binge drinkers in binge drinking; past-30-day alcohol, cigarette, marijuana, or other illicit drug use; or marijuana, alcohol, cigarette, or cocaine refusal skills at the 1-year follow-up.
Each implementing adult must complete an introductory 2- or 3-day professional development training to receive Skills for Adolescence (SFA) program materials. An extensive 10-day training-of-trainers program is available to qualified school districts. Preset regional workshops scheduled by SFA and onsite contract workshops are also available.
These sources were used in the development of the program profile:
Eisen, Marvin. 2001. “Intermediate Outcomes from a Life Skills Education Program with a Media Literacy Component.” In Mass Media and Drug Prevention: Classic and Contemporary Theories and Research, ed. William D. Crano, Michael Burgoon, and Stuart Oskamp, 2001. (New York, NY: Psychology Press), 187–211
Stojanovic, Milos, Wadih Maalouf, and Ziad El-Khatib. 2021. “Examining the Effective Implementation of a Social and Emotional Learning Program in Elementary Schools in South East Europe.” In International Approaches to Promoting Social and Emotional Learning in Schools: A Framework for Developing Teaching Strategy, ed. Markus Talvio and Kirsti Lonka. 2021. (New York, NY: Routledge), 56–70.
Quest International. N.d. Report for U.S. Department of Education Expert Panel on Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools: Lions-Quest Skills for Adolescence. (Newark, OH: Quest International).
Following are CrimeSolutions-rated programs that are related to this practice:
This practice consists of time-limited, low-dose therapeutic programs delivered in a school or educational setting that teach skills and encourage motivation to change or prevent substance use in youth participants. This practice is rated Effective for reducing alcohol use but was rated Ineffective for reducing marijuana use.
Evidence Ratings for Outcomes
|
Drugs & Substance Abuse - Alcohol |
|
Drugs & Substance Abuse - Marijuana |
This practice consists of skill-building and interaction-based activities integrated into school-based programs for grades 6–8 that are aimed at preventing marijuana use among adolescents ages 12–14. This practice is rated Effective for preventing marijuana use.
Evidence Ratings for Outcomes
|
|
Drugs & Substance Abuse - Marijuana |
Following are CrimeSolutions-rated programs that are related to this program:
This is a school-based drug prevention program designed to reduce students’ intention to use alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs and promote prosocial attitudes, skills, and behaviors. The program is rated Ineffective. There were mixed findings in students’ self-reported emotional competency skills, social and resistance skills, and perceptions of the harmful effects of drugs. There were also no statistically significant impacts on students’ attitudes toward drugs.
This is a school-based, universal substance abuse prevention program for middle school students. The program is rated Ineffective. Intervention students self-reported greater use of alcohol and cigarettes and more binge drinking, compared with control group students, at the 5-year follow up. These differences were statistically significant. There were no statistically significant differences between groups in marijuana use.
This is a classroom-based, drug abuse–prevention program for upper elementary and junior high school students. This program is rated Effective. Students who participated in the program reported a statistically significant decrease in prevalence of cigarette, alcohol, and polydrug use; and slower growth in initiation of substance use, compared with control students. However, there were no significant differences between groups on self-reported marijuana use.
This is a school-based program designed to prevent substance use. The program is rated Ineffective. There were no statistically significant effects on marijuana use, cocaine use, or on prevalence of getting drunk, and mixed effects on tobacco use, alcohol use, and hard drug use. There was a statistically significant improvement for the treatment group in overall substance use and an index of all hard drug use.
This is an interactive, school-based, character education and problem behavior prevention program designed to prevent high-risk behaviors in adolescents by having instructors provide them with models of good behavior. It is implemented in whole classroom, small group, and one-on-one sessions. This program is rated Ineffective. There were no statistically significant differences found between treatment and control groups in substance use, sexual activity, or violence.
This is a school-based program for seventh and eighth graders, which was designed to prevent substance use initiation and reduce future substance use. The program is rated Ineffective. There were no statistically significant differences in alcohol use, marijuana use, or cigarette use between students who participated in the program and control group students.
This program was originally rated Ineffective. It has been re-reviewed based on the change in the program rating instrument. Under the new instrument, CrimeSolutions now rates individual program outcomes and no longer assigns an overall rating.
Rating Process
Program Status
This program is Active.