Programs Areas
Program Areas
Drug Abuse Education and Prevention
Drug abuse is a significant public health and public policy issue because of the economic, social, and personal costs of addiction. What is more, emergent drugs of abuse, particularly prescription drugs, are challenging the effectiveness of existing prevention paradigms and the manner in which they are studied. As a result, there have been strong calls from public health officials and public policy makers to find innovative methods to increase the effective delivery of prevention programs and methods to measure their impact and cost-effectiveness in combating drug abuse.
The KDHRC program on Drug Abuse Education and Prevention investigates emerging trends in substance abuse and measures the effectiveness of multiple mechanisms, including social marketing, universal school-based prevention, and science education, to reach people with persuasive information on the risks of drug use.
Current Initiatives
Mind Over Matter: Updating NIDA Science Education Materials
KDHRC is updating the Mind Over Matter science education materials, which the National Institute on Drug Abuse distributes to the public to improve science education and literacy in the U.S.
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National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
KDHRC provides expertise in behavior change, social marketing and substance abuse prevention for strategic planning of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
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POP-D: Preventing Over-The-Counter and Prescription Drug Abuse
KDHRC is constructing and evaluating POP-D, a comprehensive kit for schools to use to implement a science education program on prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
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Key Staff
Publications
Research Briefs
Resonant prescription drug abuse prevention messages for teens
Christine B. Agnew, Eric C.Twombly, & Kristen D. Holtz
August 2009: Number 6
(Download PDF)
Recommendations to prevent teen misuse of prescription drugs
Kristen D. Holtz, KDHRC & Eric C. Twombly, Georgia State University
July 2008: Number 5
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Using science-based education to prevent drug and alcohol abuse by elementary school students
Eric C. Twombly, Georgia State University & Kristen D. Holtz, KDHRC
June 2008: Number 4
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How attitudes affect student learning about drugs of abuse
Kristen D. Holtz, KDHRC & Eric C. Twombly, Georgia State University
May 2008: Number 3
(Download PDF)
A Science Education Curriculum to Curb Youth Drug Use: Implications for Practice and Public Policy
Eric C. Twombly, Georgia State University & Kristen D. Holtz, KDHRC
November 2007: Number 2
(Download PDF)
Working Papers
Multimedia science education on drugs of abuse: A preliminary evaluation of effectiveness for adolescents
Eric C. Twombly, Georgia State University, Kristen D. Holtz, KDHRC & Greta K. Tessman, Emerson College and Tufts University
August 2007: Working Paper 07-003
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A preliminary evaluation of the effects of a science-education curriculum on changes in knowledge of drugs in youth
Kristen D. Holtz, KDHRC & Eric C. Twombly, Georgia State University
August 2007: Working Paper 07-001
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