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BACKGROUND: Developing data-based interventions to address drug use prevention among schoolchildren is critically important because research has consistently demonstrated that adolescence is the main period for experimenting with alcohol and other drugs. AIMS: To explore the changes in 30-day prevalence rates of alcohol consumption (AC) in schoolchildren and to look into the (in-)direct effect of the Unplugged programme as one of the independent variables of an equation that contained the strongest psychosocial predictors of AC at four follow-ups, as well as to examine the moderating effect of gender. DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS: The study was carried out as a cluster randomized controlled trial with five measurement points (before the implementation of the programme T1, immediately after the implementation T2 and then three months T3, 12 months T4, and 18 months T5 after the implementation). SAMPLE: The sample included 1283 schoolchildren (M = 11.52; 46.8% of them boys) from 63 schools. RESULTS: The impact of Unplugged on AC was moderated by a baseline measure of AC at T4 and T5 and a partial indirect effect of Unplugged on AC through descriptive normative belief change was found at T4 among the girls. CONCLUSIONS: The findings obtained generally emphasize the need to make provisions for a baseline AC and gender that can modify the effects of interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Health promotion in schools is a highly relevant means for reducing the high prevalence of smoking. AIMS: This study aimed to explore the prevalence of smoking in the past 30 days among schoolchildren during the implementation of the Unplugged drug prevention programme. DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS: It was carried out as a cluster randomized controlled trial with five measurement points. The data was collected before the implementation of the programme (T1), immediately after its implementation (T2), and then three months (T3), 12 months (T4), and 18 months (T5) after its implementation. The effect of Unplugged was explored after adjusting for gender, baseline smoking, perceived parental knowledge, descriptive normative beliefs, and the perceived availability of cigarettes. SAMPLE: The sample included 1283 schoolchildren (M = 11.52; 46.8% boys) from 63 different schools. RESULTS: The results obtained suggest that the 30-day prevalence of smoking rose from 1.7% vs. 3.0% to 9.7% vs. 8.2% in the experimental vs. the control group over the 22 months. The effect of time on the prevalence of smoking was found to be significant and gender differences were seen to disappear during the period that was explored. Furthermore, a direct effect of Unplugged was found at T4 and the effect of the programme was found to be moderated by gender at T2 and at T4, showing a stronger effect for the girls. Partial indirect effects of Unplugged on smoking through changes in descriptive normative beliefs were found at T4 among the girls. Finally, the findings showed that better parental knowledge about the girls' whereabouts was also important in preventing smoking. CONCLUSIONS: The findings obtained generally emphasize the necessity of a gender-specific approach when implementing prevention programmes, with particular attention being paid to the school classbased social system, as well as parental engagement in prevention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]