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Project Northland

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Project Northland is a multilevel intervention involving students, peers, parents, and community in programs designed to delay the age at which adolescents begin drinking, reduce alcohol use among those already drinking, and limit the number of alcohol-related problems among young drinkers. Administered to adolescents in grades 6-8 on a weekly basis, the program has a specific theme within each grade level that is incorporated into the parent, peer, and community components. The 6th-grade home-based program targets communication about adolescent alcohol use utilizing student-parent homework assignments, in-class group discussions, and a communitywide task force. The 7th-grade peer- and teacher-led curriculum focuses on resistance skills and normative expectations regarding teen alcohol use, and is implemented through discussions, games, problem-solving tasks, and role-plays. During the first half of the 8th-grade Powerlines peer-led program, students learn about community dynamics related to alcohol use prevention through small group and classroom interactive activities. During the second half, they work on community-based projects and hold a mock town meeting to make community policy recommendations to prevent teen alcohol use.

Goal / Mission

The program’s goal is to delay the age when young people begin drinking and to reduce drinking among those who have already started.

Impact

Studies have shown that by the end of the intervention, participating students were significantly less likely to drink alcohol than nonparticipants. Also, students who did not use alcohol before participating in the program were less likely to use alcohol after the intervention than similar youth who did not participate.

Results / Accomplishments

Multiple studies have been conducted in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. One such study was conducted in 24 school districts and adjacent communities in northeastern Minnesota. The intervention targeted sixth grade students and was implemented for three years. By the end of the intervention, students who participated in Project Northland were significantly less likely to drink alcohol than other students, as measured by lower mean scores on the Tendency To Use Alcohol Scale (16.0% vs. 17.5%, p<0.05). In addition, students who did not use alcohol before participating in Project Northland were less likely to use alcohol after the intervention than similar youth who did not participate (13.8% vs. 15.3%, p<0.01).

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Hazelden Publishing
Primary Contact
Hazelden Publishing
15251 Pleasant Valley Road
P.O. Box 176
Center City, MN 55012-0176
800-328-9000
customersupport@hazeldenbettyford.org
http://www.hazelden.org/web/go/projectnorthland
Topics
Health / Alcohol & Drug Use
Health / Adolescent Health
Organization(s)
Hazelden Publishing
Source
SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP)
Date of publication
Mar 1996
Date of implementation
1991
For more details
https://crimesolutions.ojp.gov/ratedprograms/184
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC138043...
Target Audience
Teens

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Related Content for: Project Northland

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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