Principal Investigator: William R. Miller, Ph.D.
Co Investigators: Joseph Miller, M.S.W., Victoria Sanchez, M.P.H., Radka Toscova, Ph.D.
Funding Agency: U. S. Department of Education
Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE).
We developed and tested a multi-component prevention program intended to reduce substance abuse among the student population of the University of New Mexico. The program was predicated on self-regulation theory (Miller & Brown, 1991) and included both universal (primary) and targeted (secondary) prevention components. Pre- and post-program data regarding substance use were obtained by random sample surveys of the student population. For comparison purposes, we also surveyed students at New Mexico State University, where no new prevention program was being implemented during the same time period. Pre-program surveys were completed in the fall semester, and follow-up surveys were administered during the spring semester a year and a half later. At follow-up, students on the intervention campus reported significantly lower rates of alcohol and marijuana use, and more favorable outcomes on several other variables, compared with the control campus (Miller, Toscova, Miller & Sanchez, 2000). Had no comparison campus been surveyed, we would have incorrectly concluded that the program had no impact, because the differences were reflected on increased spring-term use on the control campus that was not observed on the intervention campus.
References:
Co Investigators: Joseph Miller, M.S.W., Victoria Sanchez, M.P.H., Radka Toscova, Ph.D.
Funding Agency: U. S. Department of Education
Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE).
We developed and tested a multi-component prevention program intended to reduce substance abuse among the student population of the University of New Mexico. The program was predicated on self-regulation theory (Miller & Brown, 1991) and included both universal (primary) and targeted (secondary) prevention components. Pre- and post-program data regarding substance use were obtained by random sample surveys of the student population. For comparison purposes, we also surveyed students at New Mexico State University, where no new prevention program was being implemented during the same time period. Pre-program surveys were completed in the fall semester, and follow-up surveys were administered during the spring semester a year and a half later. At follow-up, students on the intervention campus reported significantly lower rates of alcohol and marijuana use, and more favorable outcomes on several other variables, compared with the control campus (Miller, Toscova, Miller & Sanchez, 2000). Had no comparison campus been surveyed, we would have incorrectly concluded that the program had no impact, because the differences were reflected on increased spring-term use on the control campus that was not observed on the intervention campus.
References:
- Miller, W. R., & Brown, J. M. (1991). Self-regulation as a conceptual basis for the prevention and treatment of addictive behaviours. In N. Heather, W. R. Miller, & J. Greeley (Eds.), Self-control and the addictive behaviours (pp. 3-79). Sydney: Maxwell Macmillan Publishing Australia.
- Miller, W. R., Toscova, R. T., Miller, J. H., & Sanchez, V. (2000). A theory-based motivational approach for reducing alcohol/drug problems in college. Health Education & Behavior, 27, 744-759.
