A High School Program for Preventing Prescription Drug Abuse

This Fast-Track SBIR project is designed to address the critical need for an effective
primary prevention approach for prescription drug abuse (PDA), an urgent public health crisis
in the United States. The project involves developing and testing an innovative new approach
to the primary prevention of PDA among high school students utilizing e-learning and small
group facilitator-led intervention modalities. The intervention is an adaptation of the
evidence-based substance abuse prevention approach called Life Skills Training (LST). The
adapted intervention will address the relationship between PDA and alcohol, tobacco and other
drug (ATOD) use and abuse; positively change social norms surrounding ATOD and PDA;
discourage diversion of prescription medications; enhance protective factors by building
social and self-regulation skills through interactive learning and behavioral rehearsal
scenarios.

Inclusion Criteria:

- High school aged-youth

Exclusion Criteria:

- Significant cognitive impairment or severe learning disabilities, as screened by field
staff at participating sites