Effectiveness of an Alcohol Use Prevention Program for Low-Income Youths in Gangneung, South Korea

The study is to examine the effectiveness of an alcohol use prevention program to reduce the risk of drinking among low-income youth. In order to explore the effectiveness of alcohol use prevention program, elementary school students from low-income families were divided into intervention and comparison groups. The program was carried out with 328 elementary school students attending after-school programs at the community youth centers located in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, South Korea. After completing the program, the alcohol expectancy score (p<0.001) was significantly lowered in the intervention group, while there was no significant change in the comparison group. The results showed that the moderating effects of grade group (p=0.04) and self-assertiveness (p=0.03) were significant on the relationship between the program and the scores of alcohol expectancy after controlling for gender, age, and self-assertiveness. Based on these findings, this study suggests for considering youths' age group and their self-assertiveness in planning and implementing alcohol use prevention programs for them.