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Keepin' it REAL

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Keepin' it REAL is a school-based program for 7th and 8th grade students that aims to reduce substance use by enhancing decision-making processes and resistance strategies and improving beliefs and attitudes regarding drugs. It emphasizes strategies represented in the acronym REAL through narrative and performance-based curriculum: Refuse offers to use substances, Explain why you do not want to use substances, Avoid situations in which substances are used, and Leave situations in which substances are used. The curriculum has 10 45-minute interactive lessons delivered over a 10-week period, including a series of five videos, and has been implemented in schools in all 50 states. Initially funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, keepin' it REAL was adopted and licensed by D.A.R.E. in 2009.

Goal / Mission

Keepin' it REAL aims to reduce adolescent alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco use.

Results / Accomplishments

A series of studies evaluated the effectiveness of the curriculum, and four main outcomes were measured: (1) alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use, (2) anti-substance use attitudes, (3) normative beliefs about substance use, and (4) substance use resistance. For all four outcomes, participants of Keepin' it REAL improved over control students. Findings included significantly lower alcohol use and a slower increase in marijuana use over time (p < 0.05), a statistically significant decrease in alcohol use and marijuana use (p<0.05), lower expectations of positive consequences of substance use and lower personal acceptance of drug use, and greater cigarette and marijuana resistance two and eight months after the intervention.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), Pennsylvania State University
Primary Contact
Michael Hecht
The Pennsylvania State University
Communication Arts and Sciences
501 Keller Building
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 360-1893
mlh10@psu.edu
http://www.kir.psu.edu/index.shtml
Topics
Health / Alcohol & Drug Use
Health / Adolescent Health
Organization(s)
D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), Pennsylvania State University
Date of publication
Mar 2007
Date of implementation
Sep 2009
Location
USA
For more details
Target Audience
Teens
Additional Audience
Adolescents
Kansas Health Matters