2007 Prevention Outcomes Annual Report

Compiled by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), this report summarizes the prevention outcomes generated by South Carolina’s county alcohol and drug abuse authorities during fiscal year 2007.

A majority of the content of the report focuses on the outcomes generated through pre- and post-testing of multi-session youth prevention curricula, because those evaluation methods were the most standardized across sites.  The key outcome findings from these youth prevention curricula are:

• The results showed statistically significant positive changes on all five risk-factor measures:  perceived risk, favorable attitudes, decision-making, perceived peer norms, and perceived parental attitudes. These results are generally similar to those in fiscal year 2006 (FY06).
• For substance abuse, there were statistically significant reductions in the number of users of alcohol (32.1%), marijuana (34.2%) and cigarettes (23.7%).  These reductions were generally similar to those in FY06.
• Between 94% and 97% of participants who were non-users at pre-test remained non-users at post-test for each substance.  Around 78% of marijuana users at pre-test, around 74% of alcohol users, and about 70% of cigarette users were using less by post-test.

Key findings for prevention efforts other than youth prevention curricula are:

• County authority prevention staff returned forms on 1,349 alcohol compliance checks and 585 tobacco checks.  Just more than 20% of alcohol purchase attempts were successful, compared to 17.9% of tobacco attempts.  Having posted signage about checking IDs or having age-verification equipment were both statistically significantly associated with being less likely to sell.
• 958 merchants were served by the Palmetto Retailer Education Program in FY07.
• The federal fiscal year 2008 (FFY 08) Youth Access to Tobacco Study showed the highest retailer violation rates for providing tobacco products to youth under 18 since 2001 (12.4%).  Although the rate was still far lower than the 63.2% found in 1994, it would have been even lower if not for a required change to no longer use 14-year-old purchasers.

The report demonstrates that the evidence-based prevention programs being used in South Carolina are reducing the number of individuals who begin abusing drugs, and increasing the number of people who begin using drugs and then stop, thereby improving the health and welfare of all South Carolinians.

To download a copy of the 2007 Prevention Outcomes Annual Report, click here.

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For More Information
For more information about this project, contact Steven Burritt of PIRE at DAODAS, 101 Executive Center Dr., Columbia, SC 29210; telephone: 803-896-1185; or by e-mail at: sburritt@daodas.state.sc.us.