| PY/PM Results Overview (April, 2004) |
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
Protecting You/Protecting Me (PY/PM)
Results Overview
April 2004
Background:
Drunk driving is the most frequently committed violent crime in America. In an effort to reduce alcohol-related traffic fatalities, MADD has expanded its mission to include the prevention of underage drinking. Research shows that the earlier youth begin to drink, the more likely they are to suffer from alcohol-related problems later in life, including alcohol dependency and drunk driving. MADD’s Protecting You/Protecting Me elementary curriculum increases children’s knowledge about their brains and personal development and improves their ability to protect themselves when they have no option but to ride with an adult who is not alcohol-free.
Protecting You/Protecting Me was initiated in 1998. After nearly two years of development, the Protecting You/Protecting Me curriculum became available. It consists of a series of 40 lessons (8 lessons for each grade from first through fifth) that can be taught by classroom teachers, counselors or other educators, or by trained high school students. In May 2002, the program was recognized by the federal government as a “Model Program,” one of only 56 select programs throughout the U.S.
Quick Facts: - Approximately 100, 000 elementary students have been taught the PY/PM curriculum and that number continues to grow
- Since its inception in 1998, 1,500 adult teachers and 1,468 junior and senior high school students have been trained to teach PY/PM
- PY/PM is only one of 56 recognized Model Programs selected from 950 applications by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration as of March 2004
- A Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (TCADA) grant provided training for 610 Texas teachers since September 2001 and approximately 40,000 Texas elementary students have been taught by these instructors so far
- PY/PM teaches children about their brains and how underage alcohol use can damage the development of their brains.
- Elementary students learn skills to help them make decisions, handle stress, make and be a friend, and protect themselves.
Results:
PY/PM has been tested in two evaluation studies: one in which elementary teachers taught PY/PM to their students (teacher-led) and another in which high school students in peer helper classes taught PY/PM to elementary students (youth-led). In both studies, elementary students receiving PY/PM and comparison students were given surveys before and after the program to test their knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions.
The classroom teacher-led evaluation is in its fifth year and involves eight sites in Montana and Texas. During the fourth year (2002-2003 school year) 920 fourth and fifth grade students, including 219 students who had received PY/PM for four years, were surveyed. The results showed that PY/PM students who had PY/PM for four years had average post-survey scores that were significantly higher than comparison students who did not participate in PY/PM.
Highlights of the findings showed that PY/PM students with four years of PY/PM relative to comparison students had post-survey scores* that were: - 17% higher on brain knowledge (how their brains develop and how alcohol can damage the developing brain);
- 16% higher on vehicle safety skills (how to protect themselves if they ever have to ride with someone who has been drinking alcohol);
- 10% higher on harmfulness of underage alcohol use (how harmful all types of alcohol are for people under 21 years of age);
- 8% higher on future alcohol use intentions (how they do not to plan to use alcohol in the future);
- 6% higher on decision making skills;
- 6% higher on stress management skills; and
- 5% higher on attitudes regarding teen alcohol use (how it is not okay for teenagers to use alcohol).
In the youth-led evaluation, high school students in Peer Helper classes were trained in PY/PM and delivered the curriculum to students in grades 1-5. A total of 327 elementary students in grades 3-5 were surveyed in school year 2002-2003. From pre-survey to post-survey, elementary students receiving PY/PM increased their vehicle safety skills 10 times and knowledge of brain development 11 times more than non-PY/PM students.
High school students were also found to be impacted by teaching PY/PM. When asked before teaching PY/PM about their alcohol use in the past 60 days and then again after teaching PY/PM about their alcohol use, high school students teaching PY/PM: - Reduced use of liquor 8%; beer 6%; wine coolers 6%; wine 1%; and binge drinking 6%
- Increased perceptions regarding harmfulness of underage alcohol use
- Improved teaching skills
*Exact scores associated with the evaluations are available upon request. |
