Tom Bohman
Information Technology Services Research Consulting
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station, G2700
Austin TX 78712
USA
Phone: 512-475-9378
FAX: 512-475-9382
Email: bohman@austin.texas.edu

Ted Barker
Information Technology Services
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin TX 78712
USA
Phone: 512-471-6271
Email: tbarker@mail.utexas.edu
 
Dr. Lori Holleran
School of Social Work
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin TX 78712

This poster will present the impact of the "Protecting You, Protecting Me" (PY/PM) alcohol use prevention and safety curriculum on elementary school students as taught by high school peer leaders.  The primary goal of the PY/PM program is to prevent injury and death of children due to underage consumption of alcoholic beverages and vehicle-related risks, especially as passengers in vehicles in which the driver is not alcohol-free.  The curriculum covers eight topics:  Our Brain; Growth and Development; Health and Safety; Rules and Laws; Friends; Choices and Decision; Media Awareness; and Communication.  Theoretically, the lessons of the PY/PM curriculum are based on the reinforcing mechanisms of risk reduction and protective factor enhancement.

For this research at four public school sites in Texas, two classrooms from each of the third, fourth, and fifth grade were randomly assigned to receive either the PY/PM curriculum (Intervention Group) or serve in the Control Group.  From pre-test to post-test, 259 surveys were matched (Intervention n=128, Control n=131). A 6-week follow-up survey was also completed with 120 Intervention students.

The results of a hierarchical linear modeling analysis indicated the Intervention Group made statistically significant improvements, relative to the Control group, on the following scales:  Vehicle Safety Skills, Intentions not to Ride with an Alcohol Impaired Driver, Media Literacy, and Brain Development.

Additional findings showed some individual differences by gender and grade and that the intervention's effect varied in a few areas depending on pre-test score, gender, and grade.  Suggestions for future research include assessing long-term effects of the curriculum on elementary school students; examining the effects of continued reinforcement of the curriculum content, and investigating the impact of the curriculum on high school students who implement it.