About

Investing in early prevention strategies is crucial for reducing the risk of substance use harms for children and youth. Schools can play an important role in connecting young people to prevention programs, but not all programs have equal evidence of effectiveness.

In this study, we conducted a systematic review of school-based substance use prevention programs that have been evaluated using randomized controlled trial (RCT) methods.

Our search was limited to substance use intervention programs for young people under 18 years of age, delivered either in schools or with school involvement, and evaluated in high income countries between 2009 and 2025. Participants needed to be followed up at least one year after the end of the program.

We found that several school-based programs showed evidence of effectiveness for prevention of substance use and related harms. However, many existing programs did not have RCT evidence of positive benefits. Local evaluations should be conducted even for evidence-based programs to ensure effectiveness for specific populations and context.

A report detailing these findings is available upon request. Please email us to receive a copy.

Principal Investigator

• Dr. Kimberly Thomson, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University

Funders

• BC Centre for Disease Control

Project Partners

• BC Centre for Disease Control

Publications

• Schwartz, C., Barican, J., White, O., Tang, J., Waddell, C., & Thomson, K. (2025). Substance use prevention programs with school involvement—What works? Children’s Health Policy Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University. (report available on request).
• Simms, C., & Thomson, K. (2025, November 5–6). Understanding substance use prevention programs with school involvement [Conference presentation]. 2025 Canadian Conference on Tobacco and Nicotine, Virtual.