Youth Participatory Action Research for Youth Substance Use Prevention: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: A growing body of research points to the efficacy of participatory methods in decreasing rates of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and other risky behaviors among youth. However, to date, no systematic review of the literature has been conducted on Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) for youth substance use prevention. This review draws on the peer-reviewed literature on YPAR in the context of youth substance use prevention published from January 1, 1998 through April 30, 2018. Methods: We summarize (1) the published evidence regarding YPAR for youth substance use prevention; (2) the level of youth engagement in the research process; (3) the methodologies used in YPAR studies for youth substance use prevention; and (4) where more research is needed. We used Reliability-Tested Guidelines for Assessing Participatory Research Projects to assess the level of youth engagement in the research process. Results: In all, we identified 15 unduplicated peer-reviewed, English-language articles that referenced YPAR, Community Based Participatory Research, youth, and substance use prevention. Conclusions: Our findings indicated that youth participation in research and social action resulted in increased community awareness of substance use and related solutions. This supports the premise of youth participation as an agent of community change by producing community-specific substance use data and prevention materials. Identified weaknesses include inconsistent levels of youth engagement throughout the research process, a lack of formalized agreements between youth and researchers with regard to project and data management, and a lack of outcome evaluation measures for assessing YPAR for youth substance use prevention.

Keywords:

• Youth Substance Use
• Youth Participatory Action Research
• Community Based Participatory Research
• Systematic Review
• Adolescent

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Notes

*Indicates 15 articles included in this review.

Additional information

Funding

The study described in this manuscript was funded by the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Services Award, Individual Predoctoral Fellowship [PA-16-309] by the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health; the Program in Migration and Health – California Endowment, UC Berkeley; and the Center for Border Health Disparities, Arizona Health Sciences, University of Arizona. National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.