Acceptability and feasibility of Strong & Deadly Futures, a culturally-inclusive alcohol and drug prevention program for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander secondary students
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DescriptionAlthough there are effective alcohol and drug prevention programs available for Australian secondary schools, no effective culturally-inclusive programs exist for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students. To address this gap, we developed the Strong & Deadly Futures program for young people aged 12–14 years. The web-based program was developed with Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous staff and students at four secondary schools (2 urban, 2 rural). This mixed-methods study reports on qualitative and quantitative feedback from students (n = 235) and school staff (n = 8) in a pilot trial to assess acceptability and feasibility of this curriculum-aligned program. Feedback indicated that students were highly engaged and motivated to learn as a result of the story-based mode of delivery, and teachers reported the ease of program implementation and adaptation. Implications for future school-based health program development are discussed. Overall, Strong & Deadly Futures appears to be an acceptable and feasible culturally-inclusive alcohol and drug prevention program. Further research will test the program's efficacy in a randomised controlled trial.
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Regions in scopeFour Australian secondary schools: 2 in urban areas and 2 in rural areas
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Funding entityDepartment of Health via the Centre of Research Excellence in the Prevention and Early Intervention in Mental Illness and Substance Use; Australian National Health and Medical Research Council
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Research/evaluation entityThe Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney
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StatusCompleted
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Start date2019
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End date2019
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Released to publicYes
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Other information
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CategoriesMental health, Social and emotional wellbeing