Effectiveness of school-based programs for reducing drinking and driving and riding with drinking drivers: a systematic review.

A systematic review of the literature to assess the effectiveness of school-based programs for reducing drinking and driving and riding with drinking drivers was conducted for The Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide). Thirteen peer reviewed papers or technical reports, which met specified quality criteria and included evaluation outcomes of interest, were included in the final review. These papers evaluated three classes of interventions: school based instructional programs, peer organizations, and social norming campaigns. For instructional programs, the median estimated change measured in the five studies evaluating self-reported drinking and driving was -0.10 standard deviations (SDs) (range: -0.22 to 0.04 SD). The median estimated change in the four studies evaluating the effects of such programs on self-reported riding with drinking drivers was -0.18 SD (range: -0.72 to 0.10 SD). The instructional programs varied widely with respect to several variables identified in previous research as being potentially important to program effectiveness, including exposure time, program content, and degree of interaction with students. Nonetheless, nearly all programs had some interactive component, rather than being purely didactic in their approach. According to the Community Guide rules of evidence, there is sufficient evidence to recommend as effective school-based instructional programs for reducing riding with drinking drivers. However, there is insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of these programs for reducing drinking and driving. Despite some evidence of beneficial effects on the outcomes of interest, there is also insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of peer organizations and social norming campaigns, due to the small number of available studies.