Cochrane Reviews Find SFP10-14 the #1 Best School-based Alcohol Abuse Prevention Program

The first International Cochrane Collaboration Systematic Review in Public Health and Medicine to review programs for the prevention of alcohol abuse found that SFP10-14 was the most effective universal, school-based prevention program in the world.

The Cochrane Collaboration authors (Foxcroft and associates 2003) at Oxford University found only 56 programs in the world with research data solid enough to include in their review of what works in substance abuse prevention. About 20 of these programs were found to have negative results or no positive results. Of the remaining programs, the Cochrane review found that SFP10-14, a 7-session plus four boosters version for low risk universal populations, had twice the effectiveness (effect size) of the next best school-based program. SFP was found three times as effective as any life or social skills training program implemented with youth only.

Because this review covered only school-based universal prevention, SFP3-5, SFP6-11, and SFP12-16 await a future Cochrane Collaboration evaluation for effectiveness with higher risk selected or indicated populations.

Foxcroft, D. R., Ireland, D., Lister-Sharp, D.J., Low, G., & Breen, R. (2003) Longer-term primary prevention for alcohol misuse in young people: A systemic review. Addiction, 98, 3978-411.