2009 · Study · English
Results of a type 2 translational research trial to prevent adolescent drug use and delinquency: A test of Communities That Care
Hawkins, J.D., Oesterle, S., Brown, E.C., Arthur, M.W., Abbott, R.D., Fagan, A.A., & Catalano, R.F.
Hawkins, J.D., Oesterle, S., Brown, E.C., Arthur, M.W., Abbott, R.D., Fagan, A.A., & Catalano, R.F. (2009). Results of a type 2 translational research trial to prevent adolescent drug use and delinquency: A test of Communities That Care. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163(9), 789. doi.org/10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.141
Summary
First outcome paper of the Community Youth Development Study, the initial randomised trial of Communities That Care, testing whether the system reduces adolescent substance use and delinquency community-wide. In 2003, 24 small towns in seven US states were matched in pairs within state and randomly assigned to CTC or control; a cohort of 4,407 fifth-graders was surveyed annually through grade 8. Community coalitions received training and technical assistance, used epidemiological data to identify elevated risk and depressed protective factors, and implemented tested programmes for families, schools and 10- to 14-year-olds. The incidence of alcohol, cigarette and smokeless tobacco initiation and of delinquent behaviour was significantly lower in CTC than in control communities. By grade 8, past-month alcohol and smokeless tobacco use, binge drinking in the previous two weeks and the number of delinquent behaviours in the past year were also significantly lower. The authors conclude that CTC can significantly reduce health-risking behaviour community-wide, the result that established CTC's evidence base.