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Hindi Research Article
Impact of a Peer-led Educational Program on Knowledge and Attitudes about Prevention of Substance Abuse among Lebanese/Armenian Adolescents: A Pilot Study
Mary Bakalian Arevian* and Tamar Kabakian Khasholian
Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- *Corresponding Author:
- Mary Bakalian Arevian
Hariri School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine
American University of Beirut, P.O Box: 11-0236
Bliss St. Beirut, Lebanon
Tel: 961-1-350000
Fax: 961-1-744476
E-mail: mb00@aub.edu.lb
Received date November 11, 2014; Accepted date December 25, 2014; Published date December 27, 2014
Citation: Arevian MB, Khasholian TK (2014) Impact of a Peer-led Educational Program on Knowledge and Attitudes about Prevention of Substance Abuse among Lebanese/Armenian Adolescents: A Pilot Study. J Community Med Health Educ 4:326. doi: 10.4172/2161-0711.1000326
Copyright: © 2014 Arevian MB, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Purpose of this study is to evaluate the extent to which participation in a peer-led educational program about substance abuse produces changes in knowledge and attitudes among Lebanese/Armenian adolescents. Methods: a quasi-experimental study. A convenient sample 134 high school students, from two Armenian high schools in Beirut were recruited. Design: Pretest-posttest; students completed a questionnaire before and one week after an educational program implemented by two peer-educators, who had participated in a 'training-trainees" project about prevention of substance abuse. The educational program provided students with knowledge and skills to resist social influences to engage in substance abuse. A variety of teaching-learning tools were used. Analysis: SPSS version 16 was used. Overall knowledge and attitude scores were created, as well as knowledge sub-scores and attitude scales for pro-smoking, pro-drinking, pro-marijuana, and pro-hard drugs. Pretest-posttest results were compared using paired t-test to evaluate the impact of the program. Results: Knowledge about drugs improved significantly (p=0.005) between the pre-post-test. Overall mean positive attitude towards tobacco and drugs decreased significantly (p=0.010). Pro-attitude towards smoking, alcohol drinking and hard drugs decreased significantly in the post-test (p=0.004). Similarly, the drug refusal skills improved significantly (p=0.028). Conclusion/ Implications for adolescent health: Continue peer-led preventive programs focusing on building confidence, interpersonal competence and drug refusal skills
