A study recently completed on Iowa school children shows intervention programs can have an effect on rates of meth use among school children.

Working as part of a national group known as Partnership in Prevention Science Institute, ISU researchers recently completed two studies on methamphetamine use and prevention. Several ISU Extension researchers headed by Richard Spoth, director of Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute, collaborated on the project, which compared the effectiveness of two sets of methamphetamine education programs.

The first study, which began in 1993, focused on 667 sixth-graders from 33 rural Iowa public schools. Schools in the study were put in a family-strengthening program and were asked whether they had ever tried meth.

The second study, which began in 1996, focused on 679 seventh-graders from 36 similar schools in Iowa. Schools in the experimental portion of the study were given a revised version of the family-strengthening program, combined with a school-intervention program. Students were also asked if they were habitual users of meth.

The 1996 study found that out of the 148 sixth-graders that began the program, none had used meth by the time they reached 12th grade, while out of the 156-member control group, only five students had used meth. Overall, 0.5 percent to 4.2 percent of students in the sample had used methamphetamine to some extent during their lifetime.

The control results were similar to the experimental group in the original study in which five out of 140 students used meth. However, the difference may not be as marked as immediately assumed.

“The difference in the two studies makes drawing conclusions difficult,” said Cleve Redmond, associate director of Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute. “But, the main fact is the studies were successful.”

The studies involved a total of 1,300 students in rural Iowa public schools during the two separate five-year studies.

ISU researchers have done similar studies to confirm the effectiveness of programs aimed at marijuana and other narcotics use among students in grades six to 12 in more than 100 public schools.

“We would like to promote prevention that is research-based,” Redmond said.

Although the results of the studies aren’t directly comparable, Redmond said the latter study did yield usable results on the effectiveness of intervention.

“The [main finding] is that these substance prevention programs can reduce drug use, including meth,” he said.