# A Hybrid Program to Prevent Substance Use Risk among Upper Elementary School Students Using a Positive Youth Development Approach

> **NIH NIH R44** · NATIONAL HEALTH PROMOTION ASSOCIATES, INC. · 2024 · $305,046

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
This SBIR Fast-Track proposal is designed to address the urgent problems of vaping and
prescription drug misuse (PDM) among youth in the U.S. There is a dearth of primary prevention
programs for vaping and PDM that have demonstrated changes in behavior as part of a rigorously
designed evaluation. Research shows that the age of onset for these behaviors is decreasing and
rates are increasing among the youngest cohorts. While there are a number of substance use
prevention programs, there are no evidence-based programs that focus on these problems
among upper elementary school students from a positive youth development perspective.
Furthermore, due to growing constraints on classroom time, new evidence-based hybrid
prevention programs are needed that flexibly incorporate the use of online digital technology and
classroom components. In the proposed project, we will develop and test a hybrid adaptation of
the evidence-based Life Skills Training (LST) substance abuse prevention program for upper
elementary school students. The LST program has been extensively tested and found to
effectively prevent substance abuse in a series of randomized controlled trials with behavioral
effects reported in over 30 peer-reviewed publications. The proposed hybrid preventive
intervention will: 1) utilize both online e-learning modules and traditional classroom sessions to
reduce risk of vaping and PDM as part of a broader positive youth development substance use
prevention model; 2) teach students about the harms of vaping and the importance of safe and
appropriate prescription medication use; 3) enhance protective factors by building social and self-
regulation skills through interactive learning and behavioral rehearsal scenarios; and 4)
incorporate online booster sessions. In Phase I, we will develop prototypes of e-learning modules
and classroom materials and focus group test them with upper elementary school students,
teachers, and parents to demonstrate feasibility, relevance, usability, and appeal. Materials will
be revised based on focus group feedback and fully developed, and then we will conduct a
rigorous national randomized trial of the prevention program in Phase II. Elementary schools
(N=30) will be randomized into either an intervention group that will receive the new hybrid
intervention or a treatment-as-usual control group that will receive existing health education
programming. At the end of the intervention period, and at 6- and 12-month follow-up
assessments, we will compare both groups on changes in behaviors, norms, attitudes, and
knowledge regarding vaping and appropriate prescription medication use. This research offers
the potential to identify an innovative, effective, interactive, and engaging hybrid preventive
intervention program that reduces the time burden for classroom prevention by incorporating e-
learning modules as part of an evidence-based prevention model. The intervention materials may
help to reduce risk for emergent su...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11006153
- **Project number:** 1R44DA061665-01
- **Recipient organization:** NATIONAL HEALTH PROMOTION ASSOCIATES, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Christopher Williams
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $305,046
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-15 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11006153

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11006153, A Hybrid Program to Prevent Substance Use Risk among Upper Elementary School Students Using a Positive Youth Development Approach (1R44DA061665-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11006153. Licensed CC0.

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