Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25834630›Full record

ArticleClinical practice and epidemiology in mental health : CP & EMH2015

A Systematic Review of School-Based Alcohol and other Drug Prevention Programs.

Roberta Agabio, Giuseppina Trincas, Francesca Floris, Gioia Mura, Federica Sancassiani, Matthias C Angermeyer

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical practice and epidemiology in mental health : CP & EMH, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
28citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

28 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  7. Preliminary effectiveness of theInternet interventions · 2026
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  11. Public health policies to prevent alcohol-related liver disease.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Roberta AgabioDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Giuseppina TrincasDepartment of Public Health and Clinical and Molecular Medicine and Unit of Psychosomatics and Clinical Psychiatry, University Hospital, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Francesca FlorisDepartment of Public Health and Clinical and Molecular Medicine and Unit of Psychosomatics and Clinical Psychiatry, University Hospital, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Gioia MuraDepartment of Public Health and Clinical and Molecular Medicine and Unit of Psychosomatics and Clinical Psychiatry, University Hospital, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Federica SancassianiDepartment of Public Health and Clinical and Molecular Medicine and Unit of Psychosomatics and Clinical Psychiatry, University Hospital, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Matthias C AngermeyerDepartment of Public Health and Clinical and Molecular Medicine and Unit of Psychosomatics and Clinical Psychiatry, University Hospital, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy ; Center for Public Mental Health, Gosim, Austria.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlcohol use in adolescents constitutes a major public health concern. Europe is the heaviest drinking region of the world. Several school-based alcohol prevention programs have been developed but it is not clear whether they are really effective. The present study was aimed at identifying the typology with the best evidence of effectiveness in European studies.

methodsA systematic search of meta-analyses and/or randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on interventions school-based prevention programs aimed at preventing alcohol consumption or changing the attitudes to consume alcohol.

resultsA meta-analysis published in 2011 and 12 RCTs more recently published were identified. The meta-analysis evaluated 53 RCTs but only 11.3% of them were conducted in Europe. Globally, 23 RCTs (43.4%) showed some evidence of effectiveness, and 30 RCTs (56.6%) did not find significant difference between the groups. According to the conclusions of the meta-analysis, the Unplugged program should be considered as a practice option in Europe. Among the other 12 RCTs, 42% were conducted in Europe. Globally, 7 studies (58.3%) achieved positive results, and 5 studies (41.7%) did not find significant differences or produced a mixed pattern of results. Three of the 5 European trials (60%) used the Unplugged program with positive results.

conclusionEven if further studies should be conducted to confirm these results, Unplugged appears to be the prevention project with the best evidence of effectiveness in European studies.

Indexed as

Drinkingpreventionschool

Identifiers

PMID25834630
PMCPMC4378029

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.