PPW Program's Evidence Base

Prevention Plus Wellness (PPW) programs have multiple layers of evidence supporting their efficacy to prevent and reduce substance use/misuse while promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors promoting the mental health of youth and adults.

SAMHSA's Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center

SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) lists the single-session SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness (PPW) intervention as an evidence-based prevention program for youth ages 10-17 in the Evidence-Based Resource Guide Series: Substance Misuse Prevention for Young Adults (pg. 66): https://odp.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/SAMHSA-EBP-Guide-pep19-pl-guide-1.pdf

SAMHSA also lists SPORT PPW as a promising marijuana use prevention intervention for youth 7-18 years old in the Evidence-Based Resource Guide Series: Preventing Marijuana Use Among Youth (pg. 23): https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/pep21-06-01-001.pdf

SPORT PPW is listed among the best available evidence for Preventing Opioid Use & Overdose in School-Aged Youth by ADAPT and HIDTA (pg. 21): https://www.hidta.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/FINAL-Preventing-Opioid-Use-and-Overdose-in-School-Age-Youth_r.pdf

Marijuana PPW, an adaptation of the SPORT PPW programs, is on a List of Cannabis Model Programs for School District or Charter School Consideration by the Minnesota Department of Education: file:///C:/Users/ChudleyWerch/Downloads/List%20of%20Cannabis%20Model%20Programs%20for%20School%20District%20or%20Charter%20School%20Consideration.pdf

The SPORT PPW program for youth and/or the InShape PPW program for young adults are listed in a broad-range of federal, national and state evidence-based program registries and publications, including: 

  • NREPP (National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices)
  • Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development
  • Results First Clearinghouse Database: The Pew Charitable Trusts
  • Promising Practices Network
  • Child Trends
  • Prevention Matters
  • Excellence in Prevention Strategies List
  • Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness
  • California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC)
  • OASAS

Research evaluating the efficacy of PPW programs has been published in multiple scientific journals: https://preventionpluswellness.com/pages/research-evaluating-ppw-programs

Real world case studies of PPW programs implemented across the US have also been conducted: https://preventionpluswellness.com/pages/real-world-case-studies-ppw-program-effects

In addition, PPW programs are screening and brief interventions (SBIs), including the prevention-focused PPW SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention & Referral to Treatment), which are identified as evidence-based practices by multiple federal and international agencies, including:

  • SAMHSA
  • NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
  • AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics)
  • NIAAA (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
  • WHO (World Health Organization)

The evidence for SBIRT in adolescence has been published elsewhere: https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(22)00540-7/fulltext

Prevention Plus Wellness programs also include interventions which are adaptations of our evidence-based SPORT and InShape PPW programs, including interventions for youth, young adults, adults, parent training programs, and media campaigns.