American Journal of Public Health · 2004 · 348 citations · 23 references
Public HealthHealth BehaviorHealth PromotionMeta-analysisOutcomes ResearchSubstance Use PreventionEffect Size EstimationEfficacy EvaluationSubgroup AnalysisSubstance Abuse PreventionEffect SizeEffect Size InterpretationIllicit Drug Use PreventionMeta-analysis Of Treatment EffectsMeta-analytic ComparisonMeta-analytic Effect Size Synthesis
OBJECTIVES: We provide an updated meta-analysis on the effectiveness of Project D.A.R.E. in preventing alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use among school-aged youths. METHODS: We used meta-analytic techniques to create an overall effect size for D.A.R.E. outcome evaluations reported in scientific journals. RESULTS: The overall weighted effect size for the included D.A.R.E. studies was extremely small (correlation coefficient = 0.011; Cohen d = 0.023; 95% confidence interval = -0.04, 0.08) and nonsignificant (z = 0.73, NS). CONCLUSIONS: Our study supports previous findings indicating that D.A.R.E. is ineffective.
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