JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

There is a need for evidence-based substance use prevention efforts that target high school-aged youth that are easy to implement and suitable for dissemination in school and community groups. The Youth Message Development (YMD) program, a 4-lesson, in-person curriculum which develops media literacy and critical thinking skills among youth, has demonstrated evidence of success but is limited by its delivery method and focus on alcohol and smoking.

Objective:

To adapt the in-person YMD curriculum for youth ages 13-15 to a self-paced, interactive, e-learning format targeting several commonly used substances for implementation and dissemination in a national youth organization and subsequently test the feasibility of this approach.

Methods:

An iterative process was employed in partnership with the 4-H youth development organization and a technology developer and consisted of six phases: (1) focus groups with the target audience, (2) adaptation to e-learning format, renamed REAL media, (3) pilot testing, (4) program revisions, (5) usability testing, and (6) final revisions.

Results:

Focus group feedback guided the build of an e-learning prototype of REAL media, which consisted on five online levels and interactive content guided by a mix of narration and on-screen text. Results of a pilot test of the prototype were neutral to positive, and the program was refined based on end-user feedback. An independent usability test indicated that youth 4-H members felt favorably about navigating REAL media, and they reported high self-efficacy in applying skills learned in the program. Additional refinements to the program were made based upon their feedback.

Conclusions:

The iterative build process involving the end-user from the outset yielded an overall successful technology-driven adaptation of an evidence-based curriculum. This should increase the likelihood of effectively impacting behavioral outcomes as well as uptake within community organizations.