ASSESSING WHAT HIGH-RISK YOUNG-CHILDREN KNOW ABOUT DRUGS - VERBAL VERSUS PICTORIAL METHODS

Very young children are generally not targeted for drug education effo rts for two basic reasons. First, it is generally assumed that young c hildren are not cognitively ready to learn about specific drugs throug h systematic drug prevention efforts. And second, it is difficult to m easure pre- and posttest changes on the part of young children if drug education intervention is instituted. This study involved measuring w hat children three to eight years old learned from systematic drug edu cation over the course of eight months. Two assessment methods were co mpared: pictorial and verbal interviews. The posttest results revealed that the children who received the intervention knew significantly mo re about several drugs than a matched comparison group. Both methods w ere useful in providing a comprehensive view of what the children knew about alcohol and other drugs.