An Integrated School-to-Community Model for Adolescent Substance Use Prevention and Health Risk Reduction in India
1
Programme, Plan International (India Chapter), Delhi, India
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1470
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Adolescent substance use is an emerging public health concern in India and a critical upstream determinant of poor mental health, unsafe sexual practices, and increased vulnerability to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Early initiation of tobacco and alcohol weakens decision-making, increases peer-driven risk behaviours, and reduces engagement with preventive health services. Plan India is implementing a comprehensive, community-based adolescent substance use prevention and wellbeing initiative implemented across schools and villages in the block. The programme integrates life-skills and refusal-skills education, peer-led engagement, mental health screening, family and community mobilization, and strengthened referral pathways to adolescent-friendly health and counselling services, positioning substance use prevention as a core component of adolescent health and HIV risk reduction.
METHODS:
Implementation is monitored through a robust results framework capturing behavioral, psychosocial, community norm, and systems-level indicators. Mixed methods-; including pre–post adolescent surveys, , service utilization tracking, vendor surveillance, and institutional process monitoring; are used to assess reach, quality, and outcomes. Outcomes: Ujjwal Dadri aims to delay initiation of substance use, reduce current tobacco and alcohol consumption, strengthen refusal skills and help-seeking behavior among adolescents, shift community norms, and institutionalize sustainable prevention and referral systems within schools, communities, and local governance structures. A paired-sample t-test was conducted to assess changes in knowledge following the training intervention. Results showed a significant increase in mean scores from pre-test (M = 7.50, SD = 2.27) to post-test (M = 9.50, SD = 1.43). This improvement was statistically significant (p = 0.003), with a large effect size indicating effectiveness of the training.
CONCLUSIONS:
The Ujjwal Dadri model demonstrates a scalable, systems-oriented approach to adolescent substance use prevention that integrates behavioural change, community ownership, and service responsiveness in high-risk settings.
Adolescent substance use is an emerging public health concern in India and a critical upstream determinant of poor mental health, unsafe sexual practices, and increased vulnerability to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Early initiation of tobacco and alcohol weakens decision-making, increases peer-driven risk behaviours, and reduces engagement with preventive health services. Plan India is implementing a comprehensive, community-based adolescent substance use prevention and wellbeing initiative implemented across schools and villages in the block. The programme integrates life-skills and refusal-skills education, peer-led engagement, mental health screening, family and community mobilization, and strengthened referral pathways to adolescent-friendly health and counselling services, positioning substance use prevention as a core component of adolescent health and HIV risk reduction.
METHODS:
Implementation is monitored through a robust results framework capturing behavioral, psychosocial, community norm, and systems-level indicators. Mixed methods-; including pre–post adolescent surveys, , service utilization tracking, vendor surveillance, and institutional process monitoring; are used to assess reach, quality, and outcomes. Outcomes: Ujjwal Dadri aims to delay initiation of substance use, reduce current tobacco and alcohol consumption, strengthen refusal skills and help-seeking behavior among adolescents, shift community norms, and institutionalize sustainable prevention and referral systems within schools, communities, and local governance structures. A paired-sample t-test was conducted to assess changes in knowledge following the training intervention. Results showed a significant increase in mean scores from pre-test (M = 7.50, SD = 2.27) to post-test (M = 9.50, SD = 1.43). This improvement was statistically significant (p = 0.003), with a large effect size indicating effectiveness of the training.
CONCLUSIONS:
The Ujjwal Dadri model demonstrates a scalable, systems-oriented approach to adolescent substance use prevention that integrates behavioural change, community ownership, and service responsiveness in high-risk settings.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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