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Be a Star

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Be a Star consists of afterschool groups that serve African-American children ages 5-12 and are designed to improve decision-making skills and interpersonal competence, improve cultural awareness and self-esteem, and increase unfavorable attitudes toward alcohol and drug abuse. The children attend the afterschool groups for 90 minutes once a week while school is in session. The groups include at least three segments: a physical activity period, a discussion period, and a craft activity. The physical activity period features free play and structured games and occurs when children first arrive from school. The discussion period concentrates on the topic of the group (e.g., how to make and be a friend, how others make one feel, how to feel good about the choices one makes, what one wants to be, and how one can take pride in the accomplishments of others). The third segment of the groups is making a craft or snack.

Goal / Mission

The Be a Star program was developed to help preadolescents gain the knowledge and skills necessary to resist drugs.

Impact

During the third year of the evaluation, very strong differences emerged between intervention and control groups. The treatment groups scored significantly higher on the scales rating family bonding, pro-social behavior, self-concept, self-control, decision-making, emotional awareness, assertiveness, cooperation, attitudes toward drugs and alcohol, self-efficacy, attitudes toward African-American culture, and school bonding.

Results / Accomplishments

The first 2 years of the program showed inconsistent results; however, during the third year of the evaluation very strong differences emerged between intervention and control groups. Using an analysis of variance (ANOVA), the researchers found that the treatment groups scored significantly higher on the scales rating family bonding, pro-social behavior, self-concept, self-control, decision-making, emotional awareness, assertiveness, cooperation, attitudes toward drugs and alcohol, self-efficacy, attitudes toward African-American culture, and school bonding.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Neighborhood Houses
Primary Contact
Neighborhood Houses
326 S. 21st Street, Suite 301
St. Louis, MO 63103
(314) 383-1733
kmccadden@neighborhoodhouses.org
https://www.neighborhoodhouse.org/
Topics
Health / Alcohol & Drug Use
Health / Adolescent Health
Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders
Organization(s)
Neighborhood Houses
Source
Harvard Family Research Project
Date of publication
1998
Location
St Louis, MO
For more details
http://www.hfrp.org/out-of-school-time/ost-databas...
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/(SICI)1...
Target Audience
Children

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Related Content for: Be a Star

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.