La fidelidad en la implementación de programas está siendo cadavez más reconocida como un componente clave en los programas deprevención efectivos. El presente estudio examina la asociación entre la fidelidad en la implementación y los datos de consumo de drogas entre jóvenes estudiantes en 11 escuelas medias de Nueva York donde se han aplicado programas de prevención de drogas. Observadores entrenados supervisaron la implementación de un programa de prevención aplicado por profesores (N=38), los alumnos participantes (N=1857) completaron cuestionarios sobre el uso de tabaco y alcohol en un periodo de 15 meses. Los resultados indican que los profesores que prefi rieron las clases magistrales cuando impartían el programa, utilizaban con menor probabilidad el debate y la demostración como métodos educativos.Asimismo, los profesores que prefi rieron las clases magistrales fueron valorados por los observadores como menos preparados para dar clase y con menor capacidad de gestión de la clase. Los resultados indican que los factores relacionados con la calidad de implementación predicen significativamente el cambio en los datos de consumo de sustancias entre los estudiantes. AbstractImplementation fi delity is increasingly recognized as a key component of effective prevention programming. The present study examined the association between implementation fi delity and youth substance use outcomes among students in 11 New York City middle schools receiving a drug abuse prevention program. Trained observers monitored the implementation of a research-based prevention program by classroom teachers (N = 38), and participating students (N = 1,857) completed surveys assessing smoking and alcohol use over a 15-month period.Findings indicated that teachers who relied more on lecturing whenteaching the program were less likely to use discussion and demonstration as teaching methods. Teachers who relied on lecturing were rated by observers as being less ready to teach and having poorer classroom management skills. Findings indicated that factors related to the quality of implementation signifi cantly predicted change in student substance use outcomes. Students who were taught by the most skilled providers reported signifi cantly lower increases in smoking and drinking at the follow-up assessments compared to students taught by other providers.These fi ndings suggest that teacher training to enhance implementation fidelity is a crucial component to program success in terms of student behavioral outcomes.
Two- and three-year follow-up from a gender-specific, web-based drug abuse prevention program for adolescent girls