Prevention specialists at C.H.A.D., Inc. in Auburn, NY implemented the SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness program during the spring semester, 2022 to 114 adolescents in science and social studies classes in county schools (61% male, 69% 12 years old).
Pretest to posttest survey results showed there was an increase in intentions to engage in healthy behaviors in the future, including physical activity (7%), eating mostly healthy foods (14%), getting 8 or more hours of sleep (18%), and practicing stress control/relaxation most days a week (11%).
There were also fewer intentions to drink any alcohol (12%), try any marijuana (9%), try e-cigarettes (9%), and try non-medical opioids (6%) in the future.
There was an increase in perceived harmfulness of alcohol (9%), marijuana (5%), and e-cigarettes (9%) damaging their health or healthy behaviors.
There was also a pretest to posttest increase in the percentage of youth who thought “none” of their peers used alcohol (11%), cigarettes (12%), marijuana (12%), e-cigarettes (13%), and non-medical opioids (11%).
At posttest, most youth said they were “likely” or “very likely” to engage in the following health-promoting behaviors most days in the next year:
- 88% physical activity
- 63% 8 or more hours sleep
- 77% eat mostly healthy foods
- 69% set goals to improve their health or fitness
At posttest, most youth said they were “unlikely” or “very unlikely” to try any of the of the following substances in the next year:
- 92% alcohol
- 99% cigarettes
- 96% marijuana
- 96% e-cigarettes
- 95% non-medical opioids
At posttest, most participants said using the following substances would harm their health or healthy habits “a lot” or “a great deal”:
- 76% alcohol
- 88% cigarettes
- 69% marijuana
- 78% e-cigarettes
- 88% non-medical opioids
Participating adolescents’ comments after receiving the SPORT PPW program supported the quantitative data results and included:
- I liked that it helped me with my physical and mental state, which was my favorite things.
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· I liked how it helped me set a goal. It helped me play volleyball every day. |
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· I liked how it got me motivated to play more sports and eat breakfast. |
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· What I liked best about this lesson is the goal setting and the stress relieving ideas because I have a lot of anxiety. |
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· I liked that this lesson taught us how important healthy habits are. |
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· It got me into a better eating habit. |
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· The connection between drugs and health, drugs harm your health. |
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· It makes people aware of what their health habits do for them and gives them recommendations on how to change it. |
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· I liked that it made me think about how much sleep I get. |
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· It made me realize how important it is to stay healthy and be fit. |
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· I liked how it gives the negatives of drinking alcohol or using drugs. |
We at Prevention Plus Wellness thank the awesome prevention professionals at C.H.A.D., Inc. for their commitment and successes in protecting and improving the physical and mental health of youth in their region.