Online educational programs aimed to prevent substance use offer many benefits, such as increased accessibility, affordability, and use. As such, a recent publication reviewed the literature to summarize evidence for implementation of successful online substance use prevention programs. In this review, the literature search strategy included identifying articles published after 2013 that reported outcomes for online substance use prevention programs targeting adolescents (11-18yo; studies targeting college students were excluded). The authors identified 12 articles that met these criteria, and summarized the characteristics of each study (see Table 1). The author’s primary findings from this literature review included the following:
- The majority of online prevention programs target alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco use; thus, programs targeting illicit drugs or other drugs commonly misused or abused is needed.
- The majority of online programming was implemented in a school-based setting—while beneficial, the authors noted the need to deliver online programs outside of traditional school hours to increase accessibility.
- Only one study was evaluated in a replication trial, indicating the need for additional replication trials. In addition, studies demonstrating long-term program effectiveness and sustainability are needed.
Take Away: This review summarized recent evidence that online educational programs remain a promising platform toward preventing substance use among adolescents. Prevention specialists on college campuses may also find this review relevant—as adolescents transition to college, online prevention programs may be an effective tool to educate first-year college students about commonly misused substances, such as alcohol, cannabis, and prescription medications.