SAY YES FIRST - A LONGITUDINAL, SCHOOL-BASED ALCOHOL AND DRUG PREVENTION PROJECT FOR RURAL YOUTH AND FAMILIES

This study was based on a 5-year, comprehensive educational and case-m anagement approach to drug prevention that involved 859 students of th e class of the year 2000 (41.6% Hispanic) as they progressed from 4th through 8th grade. Among a longitudinal, 4-year cohort, program partic ipation was associated significantly with academic achievement for all students and was associated negatively with frequency of drug use amo ng high-risk students. The prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, and other d rug use for the last 30 days among Say Yes First students in 8th grade was lower than a preceding student cohort that had not participated i n the program. These findings indicated that school-based drug-prevent ion strategies can be effective in improving academic achievement and reducing current use of alcohol and other drugs in rural at-risk stude nts.