The Need for Marijuana Perceived Risk Interventions Targeting College Students at a Historically Black College and University

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this pilot study was to test a peer-led Hip-Hop Development Model (HHD) prevention intervention designed to increase the perceived risk from drug use for undergraduate college students attending a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). The HHD model was used to develop prevention messaging to increase the perceived risk from drug use. This study examined the following outcomes of peer-group-based development of public service announcements grounded in HHD: (1) feasibility, (2) acceptability, and (3) potential for immediate posttest and 1-year impact on perceived risk from marijuana use. Findings indicated that the college students were able to produce public service announcements over the course of a semester that could be broadcast to other students on campus. At the 1-year follow-up, perceived risk from marijuana use was significantly higher than at baseline. Perceived risk from marijuana use at baseline was low with 36% of participants who responded moderate or great risk which increased to 63% at immediate and 50% at 1-year posttest. This small pilot study provides insights into what is needed to implement and evaluate youth-targeted marijuana prevention messaging, in a context of rapid increase in the liberalization of adult marijuana use across the United States.

KEYWORDS:

• College students
• HBCUs
• hip-hop
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities
• Marijuana use
• perceived risk

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest or financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose. The funder had no role in study, design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Data availability statement

All relevant data are within the paper and its supporting documentation files.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DDHS)/Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)/Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) under Grant number SP020660, 2014. The content of the publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, and the views expressed in this paper are those of the authors;Center for Substance Abuse Prevention [SP020660].