Fidelity of implementation of Reptes, an alcohol and cannabis selective prevention program for youngsters

Abstract

Objective: Implementation fidelity is a key dimension in process evaluation but has been scarcely studied. Reptes is a selective alcohol and cannabis use prevention program performed in vulnerable young people (16-21 years) from different educational and leisure settings. The study aimed to describe the components of this program, its implementation fidelity, and satisfaction among participants and facilitators.

Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. Implementation fidelity was assessed in terms of adherence, dose, participant responsiveness, and quality of the intervention through self-reports completed by 15 facilitators and self-administered questionnaires by 99 youth from the 15 groups completing the program.

Results: 70.7% of the groups performed 30 of the 43 planned activities with high use of various teaching methods, except for Information and Communication Technology resources. Fidelity implementation was above 70%. 2/3 groups completed an acceptable intervention and 1/3 completed a qualified intervention. Satisfaction was higher than 7.

Conclusions: Our results show high implementation fidelity and satisfaction compared with those from similar studies.

Keywords: Adolescent; Adolescentes; Alcohol drinking; Consumo de alcohol; Consumo de cánnabis; Evaluación de programas; Health plan implementation; Implementación de planes de salud; Marijuana abuse; Poblaciones vulnerables; Program evaluation; Vulnerable populations.