Problem: Prevention among Young Children

The idea of drug abuse prevention operating from kindergarten through 12th grade is popular and attractive. Few prevention initiatives among young children, however, show success in either reducing substance abuse or affecting risk and protective factors associated with drug use. The examples of prevention presented in this chapter demonstrate that positive results can be attained by programs for young children. Some programs documented short-term reduction in the incidence of adolescent tobacco or alcohol use. Other programs influenced the risk and protective factors associated with early use of alcohol and drugs. The achievements of even the best programs for young children, however, appear modest in comparison to the outcomes recorded by preventive interventions applied to older age groups.