Addressing High School Marijuana Use in Context of Increasing Social Acceptance

描述（由申请人提供）：青少年使用大麻与各种负面健康和心理社会结果相关。然而，围绕大麻使用的快速变化的规范背景为预防提出了重大挑战。迄今为止，已有20个州和哥伦比亚特区将医用大麻合法化，17个州将持有大麻合法化，两个州将娱乐用大麻合法化。鉴于大麻使用正常化的势头，需要新的方法来干预青少年减少大麻使用和与大麻使用相关的风险。目的：本可行性研究将开发一种干预措施，结合传统媒体和移动技术，通过增加对高风险使用的认识和关注，提高对这种行为与个人自主和代理不一致的认识，来减少高中生的大麻使用。具体目标是：(1)将以前测试过的大麻交流方法应用于高中；(2)测试使用智能手机技术在行为决策时间附近传递适当信息的可行性；(3)通过提高高中生对大麻高危使用的认识和关注，以及这种行为与个人自主的不一致性，对该运动在减少高中生大麻使用流行率、数量和频率方面的潜力进行功效测试；(4)评估这些方法是否对酒精使用相关结果有积极影响。方法：我们将进行焦点小组讨论，以制定干预的信息和材料。继信息开发之后，我们将与专门从事公共卫生干预的移动电话应用程序的多媒体开发公司Klein Buendel （KB）合作，开发智能手机应用程序和短信平台。该干预将在旧金山湾区的六所学校实施，采用交叉设计。加州健康儿童调查是一项全州范围的调查，允许自定义问题，将在研究的1 - 3年级的每所学校进行，并将用于评估干预措施的有效性。在学校推行干预措施后，我们会与学校行政人员进行面对面访谈，以了解他们对干预措施的反应和经验。创新：这项可行性研究将探索使用智能手机技术和短信作为一种方式来扩展传统的以学校为基础的媒体方法的有效性，并在与大麻使用行为决定接近的时间和地点向青少年传播预防信息。这种以媒体为基础的方法不需要课堂或教师时间，因此在对学校学习成绩要求越来越高、可用于预防的学校资源越来越少的时代，它可以被广泛采用。如果成功，这项可行性研究将为更大规模的随机试验提供基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Marijuana use among adolescents is associated with a variety of negative health and psychosocial outcomes. The rapidly changing normative context surrounding marijuana use, however, raises significant challenges for prevention. To date, 20 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical use, 17 states have decriminalized marijuana possession, and two states have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Given the momentum towards normalization of marijuana use, new approaches are needed to intervene with youth to reduce marijuana use and risks associated with marijuana use. Aims: This feasibility study will develop an intervention, using a combination of traditional media and mobile technologies to reduce marijuana use among high school students by increasing knowledge and concern regarding high-risk use and raising awareness of the inconsistency of such behaviors with personal autonomy and agency. Specific aims are (1) adapting previously-tested marijuana communication approaches for use in high schools; (2) testing feasibility of use of smartphone technology to deliver appropriate messages proximate to time of behavioral decision; (3) conducting an efficacy test regarding potential of such a campaign to reduce the prevalence of use and quantity and frequency of marijuana use among high school students, via increasing knowledge and concern regarding high-risk use, and the inconsistency of such behaviors with personal autonomy; (4) assessing whether these approaches have a positive effect on alcohol-use related outcomes. Approach: We will conduct focus groups to develop the messages and materials for the intervention. Following message development, we will work collaboratively with Klein Buendel (KB), a multi-media development firm that specializes in mobile phone applications for public health interventions, to develop a smartphone app and text messaging platform. The intervention will be implemented in a total of six schools in the San Francisco Bay Area using a cross-over design. The California Healthy Kids Survey, a state-wide survey that allows custom questions, will occur in each school in Years 1 - 3 of the study, and will be used to assess the efficacy of the intervention. Following the implementation of the intervention in the schools, face-to- face interviews with school administrators will be conducted to ascertain their reactions to and experiences with the intervention. Innovation: This feasibility study will explore the use of smartphone technology and text messaging as a way to extend the effectiveness of traditional school-based media approaches and disseminate prevention messages to youths at a time and place proximal to behavioral decision regarding marijuana use. This media- based approach does not require classroom or teacher time, making it viable for widespread adoption in an era of growing demands for school academic performance and decreased available school resources for prevention. If successful, this feasibility study will provide the basis for a larger randomized tral.