Promoting social inclusion in schools: A group-randomized trial of effects on student health risk behavior and well-being

Objectives. We sought to test the efficacy of an intervention that was designed to promote social inclusion and commitment to education, in reducing among students health risk behaviors and improving emotional well-being. Methods. The design was a cluster-randomized trial in 25 secondary schools in Victoria, Australia. The subjects were 8th-grade students (aged 13 to 14 y) in 1997 (n = 2545) and subsequent 8th-grade students in 1999 (n = 2586) and 2001 (n = 2463). The main outcomes were recent substance use, antisocial behavior, initiation of sexual intercourse, and depressive symptoms. Results. At 4-year follow-up, the prevalence of marked health risk behaviors was approximately 20% in schools in the comparison group and 15% in schools in the intervention group, an overall reduction of 25%. In ordinal logistic regression models a protective effect of intervention was found for a composite measure of health risk behaviors in unadjusted models (odds ratio [OR] = 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.50, 0.95) and adjusted models (OR = 0.71; CI = 0.52, 0.97) for potential confounders. There was no evidence of a reduction in depressive symptoms. Conclusion. The study provides support for prevention strategies in schools that move beyond health education to promoting positive social environments.