Say yes first: A longitudinal, school-based alcohol and drug prevention project for rural youth and families

This study was based on a 5-year, comprehensive educational and case-management approach to drug prevention that involved 859 students of the class of the year 2000 (41.6% Hispanic) as they progressedfrom 4th through 8th grade. Among a longitudinal, 4-year cohort, program participation was associated significantly with academic achievementfor all students and was associated negatively with frequency of drug use among high-risk students. The prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use for the last 30 days among Say Yes First students in 8th grade was lower than a preceding student cohort that had not participated in the program. These findings indicated that school-based drug-prevention strategies can be effective in improving academic achievement and reducing current use of alcohol and other drugs in rural at-risk students.