SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness-Middle School Version

Youth ages 10-14 years old

SPORT (Substance Prevention Optimizing Resiliency Training) Prevention Plus Wellness Middle School Version is a brief substance use prevention and health promotion intervention designed to highlight the positive image benefits of an active lifestyle to reduce the use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs by youth. In addition, it aims to improve their overall physical and mental well-being.

Chudley Werch, PhD

• Agency/Affiliation: Prevention Plus Wellness, LLC
• Website: https://preventionpluswellness.com
• Email: cwerch@preventionpluswellness.com
• Phone: (904) 472-5022

The goals of SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness Middle School Version in relation to the target population are:

• Prevent and reduce alcohol use
• Prevent and reduce nicotine and marijuana use
• Increase physical activity
• Reduce risk factors for substance use
• Increase protective factors for avoiding substance use
• Increase health behavior goal setting
  

The essential components of SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness Middle School Version include:

• A 45-minute single session screening and brief intervention including:
• Screening youth for their current substance use and healthy behaviors (5-item survey including a stage of alcohol use initiation question)
• Providing feedback to youth on how substance use harms each of the targeted healthy behaviors using a scripted protocol and PowerPoint slides
• Asking youth to set goals to avoid substance use and increase health-promoting behaviors, with parent signature
• Providing positive images of young adolescents engaged in healthy behaviors within PowerPoint slides shown during the lesson
• Present the benefits of:
• Participating in sports and physical activities
• Regular physical activity
• Eating a healthy breakfast and foods
• Sleeping 8 or more hours a night
• Pose stop-and-think questions about each of the targeted behaviors to increase youth reflection on future behavioral actions
• Identify how alcohol and drug use harms healthy behaviors and achieving desired future images and healthy habits
• Describe:
• How alcohol can harm your fitness and health
• How alcohol can cause life problems
• How most youth do not drink
• Healthy alternatives to drinking alcohol
• Present recommendations for increasing wellness
• Utilize evaluation materials including:
• Paper and online pretest and posttest youth surveys
• Instructor’s Survey
• Fidelity Checklist

Child/Adolescent Services

SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness-Middle School Version directly provides services to children and addresses the following:

• Risk of substance use, addiction, and social and health problems including harmed mental health, illness, injury, and premature death

Recommended Intensity

One 45-minute session

Recommended Duration

One session

Delivery Settings

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Community-based Agency / Organization / Provider
• Foster / Kinship Care
• Group or Residential Care
• Hospital
• Justice Setting (Juvenile Detention, Jail, Prison, Courtroom, etc.)
• Outpatient Clinic
• Public Child Welfare Agency (Dept. of Social Services, etc.)
• School Setting (Including: Day Care, Day Treatment Programs, etc.)
• Virtual (Online, Smartphone, Zoom, Telephone, Video, etc.)

Homework

This program does include a homework component.

Participating youth receive a goal plan with recommendations to continue to monitor daily goal achievement and set weekly goals to avoid alcohol and drug use and increase healthy behaviors.

Languages

SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness-Middle School Version has materials available in the following languages other than English:

• Spanish

For information on which materials are available in this language, please check on the program's website or contact the program representative (contact information is listed in this page).

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

Something to display the program’s PowerPoint slides

Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications

No minimum or prerequisite training or education required.

Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Program Manual(s)

Manual details:

• Prevention Plus Wellness, LLC. (2023). SPORT (Alcohol/Drug) substance use prevention promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors – middle school adolescents. https://preventionpluswellness.com/products/evidence-based-alcohol-drug-sport-prevention-plus-wellness

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Training Contact

Training Type/Location:

Online self-paced course, but live online training and onsite training at the trainee’s organization are also available

Number of days/hours:

1-2 hours training for a program implementer and 2 additional hours to be trained as a trainer

Pre-Implementation Materials

There are no pre-implementation materials to measure organizational or provider readiness for SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness-Middle School Version.

Formal Support for Implementation

There is formal support available for implementation of SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness-Middle School Version as listed below:

Optional formal support via email, phone, or online meetings is available for program implementers. Support includes addressing questions and problems with training, implementing, tailoring, and evaluating the program.

Fidelity Measures

There are fidelity measures for SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness-Middle School Version as listed below:

A Fidelity Checklist is provided. It allows the organization to assess the extent to which the SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness program is being implemented with fidelity by adhering to the program model. The Checklist can be obtained from the program contact at the bottom of the page.

Implementation Guides or Manuals

There are implementation guides or manuals for SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness-Middle School Version as listed below:

The SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness program manual includes directions for implementing the program as well as scripts to follow to present the program with fidelity to youth both individually and in groups. It can be obtained from the program contact on the bottom of the page.

Implementation Cost

There have been studies of the costs of implementing SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness-Middle School Version which are listed below:

Washington State Institute for Public Policy. (2019). SPORT. https://www.wsipp.wa.gov/BenefitCost/Program/382

Research on How to Implement the Program

Research has not been conducted on how to implement SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness-Middle School Version.

Child Welfare Outcome: Child/Family Well-Being

• Werch, C., Moore, M., DiClemente, C. C., Owen, D. M., Jobli, E., & Bledsoe, R. (2003). A sport‐based intervention for preventing alcohol use and promoting physical activity among adolescents. Journal of School Health, 73(10), 380–388. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2003.tb04181.x

  Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial

  Participants: 454

  Sample / Population:

  • Age — Mean=13.2 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — 51% Caucasian, 36% African American, and 13% Other
  • Gender — 52% Female
  • Status —

    Participants were eighth graders in an inner-city middle school, suburban middle school, and rural junior high.
    

  Location/Institution: Northeast Florida

  Summary:

  The purpose of the study was to evaluate a novel intervention addressing alcohol prevention in adolescents. Participants were randomized to one of three groups: 1) Sport consultation (Sport) [now called SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness Middle School], 2) Sport consultation + alcohol consultation (Sport Plus), 3) Sport consultation + alcohol consultation + mailed parent print materials (Sport plus parent). Measures utilized include The Youth Alcohol and Health Survey and Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Results indicate that there were significant time effects on three of six alcohol measures, both exercise measures, and four risk/protective factors, with all but one risk factor showing improvements over time. Time by assignment by current drinking status (yes/no) interaction effects were found on alcohol initiation, length of alcohol use, quantity, heavy use, moderate physical activity, and four risk/protective factors, with preintervention drinking adolescents exposed to the Sport intervention showing the greatest improvements on all but two measures. Adolescents exposed to the Sport consultation alone were the only group to show a reduction over time in their perception of the prevalence of peer alcohol use. In addition, those receiving the Sport consultation alone showed the greatest improvement at posttest on social norms. Limitations include the length of follow-up and lack of a non-treatment control group, as all groups received a form of Sport.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 3 months.

• Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development. (2024). SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness Program. https://www.blueprintsprograms.org/programs/477999999/sport-prevention-plus-wellness/

• Clearinghouse for Military Families Readiness. (2024). SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness (SPORT PPW). Available at this link

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2019). Appendix 2: Evidence-based prevention programs and policies. In Substance misuse prevention for young adults (pp. 66). https://store.samhsa.gov/product/substance-misuse-prevention-young-adults/pep19-pl-guide-1