The Effectiveness of a TPB Educational Program for Preventing Alcohol Use Among Adolescents

ABSTRACT

In this pilot study, we assessed the effectiveness and acceptability of an educational program designed to prevent alcohol-related behaviors among high school students. The program was rooted in the Theory of Planned Behavior principles (TPB) and supplemented with life-skills teaching. A total of 352 participants were involved, representing 10 secondary schools in central Greece. Among these, 257 students (Mage: 14.51 ± 1.34 years) constituted the experimental group, while 95 were assigned to the control group. The experimental group received a 10-session program, one per week. The results revealed that the experimental group had a significant improvement on knowledge about alcohol, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and alcohol-related behavior between pre- and post-intervention measurements. Additionally, students expressed high levels of satisfaction with the program. These findings offer substantial evidence for the practicality and effectiveness of an alcohol prevention initiative that is rooted in theory and supported by life-skills education when implemented within a school environment.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescents
• alcohol prevention
• behavior change
• life-skills
• pilot study
• theory of planned behavior

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the State Scholarships Foundation [MIS 5113934].