An Education-Oriented Framework For Evidence-Based School-Based Substance Use Prevention

Introduction: School-based substance use prevention has shifted from information-oriented drug education towards evidence-based approaches grounded in prevention science. However, prevention science, implementation research, and international and European prevention frameworks address different but complementary aspects of prevention, and their implications are not always organised within a coherent perspective for educational practice. Objective: This paper aims to develop an education-oriented conceptual framework for evidence-based school-based substance use prevention by organising complementary principles from prevention science, implementation research, and international and European prevention frameworks according to the functions they serve within school-based prevention. Methods: The paper employs a conceptual-analytical approach centred on the International Standards on Drug Use Prevention, the European Drug Prevention Quality Standards, and the European Prevention Curriculum, supported by purposively selected theoretical and empirical literature relevant to school-based prevention. The sources were examined in terms of the functions they address within educational practice rather than through a systematic review of the evidence. Results: The proposed framework comprises five interconnected functional components: (1) evidence-informed decision-making, (2) developmental and contextual responsiveness, (3) comprehensive preventive action, (4) implementation quality, and (5) evaluation and continuous improvement. Professional capacity, leadership, resources, and intersectoral collaboration are conceptualised as enabling conditions operating across these components, while schools are positioned within a wider prevention system. Conclusion: The framework does not propose new prevention principles but organises existing knowledge into an education-oriented perspective. It highlights that strengthening school-based substance use prevention requires coherence between evidence, identified needs, preventive action, implementation, and evaluation, supported by organisational and system-level conditions.