Brief report: the adaptation of Project Northland for urban youth

Abstract

Objective: Summarizes the research and intervention design of a new trial to evaluate an adaptation of Project Northland, a multicomponent, community-wide alcohol prevention program for culturally diverse youth living in a large city. The original Project Northland was successful in reducing alcohol use among a sample of mostly White, rural adolescents.

Methods: We highlight the steps taken to adapt the intervention strategies for culturally diverse inner-city youth, families, and neighborhoods. The research design is a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the adapted Project Northland for reducing the early onset and prevalence of alcohol use among young urban adolescents.

Conclusion: The information gained from this trial, including the process of adaptation of prevention strategies, will be beneficial for alcohol-use prevention efforts within diverse urban communities across the country.