# Leveraging School Environments to Shape Social Networks and Reduce Adolescent Substance Use-- A Pilot Randomized Trial of a Social Network Intervention

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2020 · $213,246

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Leveraging School Environments to Shape Social Networks and Prevent Substance Use—A Pilot
Randomized Trial of a Social Network Intervention
Despite decades of prevention work, recent data suggest that, by the end of high school, over 27% of teens
regularly use marijuana and nearly 47% regularly use alcohol. Although social networks are thought to have a
strong influence on adolescent substance use, few interventions target social networks to improve health
behaviors. Specifically, it remains unknown whether schools might intentionally re-wire adolescent social
networks to prevent or reduce substance use. Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) is a widely
disseminated college preparatory program targeting students in the academic middle (largely B and C-average
students) for additional academic and emotional support. AVID removes middle-tier students from typical
classrooms and groups them together with high performing students, exposing them to a peer network in which
academic performance and positive social norms are valued. In addition, by strengthening the student/teacher
relationship, AVID expands students' network of supportive adults. Although evaluations of AVID suggest it
improves educational outcomes, particularly for boys, there are no studies investigating whether it improves
health behaviors like substance use. Using a randomized controlled study design, this pilot will test whether
AVID re-wires social networks and reduces substance use among high school youth, the specific aims of which
are 1) to evaluate whether students randomized to AVID report healthier social networks (lower proportion of
peers engaging in risky behaviors and a higher number of supportive adults) compared with control students;
2) to determine whether AVID students report decreased frequency of 30-day alcohol, marijuana and other
drug use compared to control students and whether associations between AVID and substance use are
modified by gender; and 3) To examine whether peer or adult social network changes predict changes in
substance use and, if exposure to AVID is associated with substance use, whether these associations are
mediated by changes in peer or adult networks. Students who qualify for entry into AVID will be randomized via
an admissions lottery to receive an invitation into the program or not. Intervention and control students will be
assessed via a computerized survey at baseline, prior to entering high school, and then annually at the end of
9th, 10th and 11th grade. Student surveys will ask about substance use behaviors and the students' personal
social network, and will be matched with their academic data from the Department of Education. Information to
be gained from this study can elucidate potential causal pathways linking school environments, social
networks, and substance use, forming the basis for a large-scale evaluation of AVID and the development of
future social network interventions. This topic is i...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9976489
- **Project number:** 5K23DA040733-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Rebecca N Dudovitz
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $213,246
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-08-01 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9976489

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9976489, Leveraging School Environments to Shape Social Networks and Reduce Adolescent Substance Use-- A Pilot Randomized Trial of a Social Network Intervention (5K23DA040733-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9976489. Licensed CC0.

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