Effects of the Knowledge and Attitude Development Program to Promote Preventive Behaviors for Prescription Drug Misuse among High School Students in Central Thailand: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Objective: Prescription drug misuse (PDM) among adolescents is an increasing public health issue, leading to significant physical, psychological, and social consequences. There is a pressing need for preventive strategies targeting young people to address this growing concern in Thailand. Material and Methods: A quasi-experimental study using a repeated-measure design with 2 groups aimed to evaluate the effect of a knowledge and attitude development program on promoting preventive behaviors related to PDM. This study recruited 102 high school students, aged between 16 and 18, enrolled at a school in Central Thailand. The students were divided into 2 groups using multi-stage sampling: the intervention group (n=51) participated in a 4-week knowledge and attitude development program, while the control group (n=51) received a health education booklet. Assessments were conducted through structured questionnaires at 3 points: baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and a repeated measures analysis of variance.Results: Significant differences were found in the mean scores of knowledge (F=142.166, p-value<0.001), attitudes (F=219.680, p-value<0.001), and preventive behaviors related to PDM (F=68.871, p-value<0.001) between the intervention and control groups at the 3-month follow-up. Furthermore, the mean scores of all outcomes in the intervention group significantly increased at post-intervention and 3-month follow-up (p-value<0.001). However, no significant improvement was observed in the control group across all time points (p-value>0.05).Conclusion: The intervention group demonstrated significantly better knowledge, attitudes, and preventive behaviors on PDM than the control group. These findings indicate that the program might support efforts to promote preventive behaviors, and healthcare personnel can consider using it in the planning and management of PDM prevention.