Construyendo Salud

Frequently asked questions

> Is “Construyendo Salud” a scientifically founded programme?
> How do we know that “Construyendo Salud” is effective?
> Why is “Contruyendo Salud” preferable than other programmes?

Is “Construyendo Salud” a scientifically founded programme?

YES, the C.S. project is scientifically and empirically founded and shares the principles of the most relevant etiological theories on drug use and antisocial behaviour. The first few works UDIPRE did on its school component were based on the experience gained with the Life Skills Training (Botvin and Tortu, 1988). The theoretical grounds, on which the school and family components are based, include the Problem-Behaviour Theory (Jesser and Jesser, 1977); the Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 2001, Akers, 1977) and the Progression Model in the use of drugs (Kandel, 1975). Basically, drug use during adolescence is not only considered as a problem, but as learnt way of behaving, with which teenagers try to achieve certain personal and social goals that they are not able to reach in any other way.

^ back to top

How do we know that “Construyendo Salud” is effective?

The C.S. project has been continuously reimplemented, evaluated and reviewed by UDIPRE since 1992, when we started designing the school component. In several research projects founded by the Spanish Directorate-General of Scientific and Technical Research and some collaboration works with the National Plan on Drugs we have collected a big amount of data by evaluating the programme’s implementation in many school centres of different Spanish regions, gathering a sample of more than 9.000 teenagers since then. Basically, collected data show the effectiveness of the school component of “Construyendo Salud” in reducing the start, frequency and progression in the use of tobacco and alcohol. It has also preventive effects on the development of antisocial behaviour and positive ones on the variables of the risk of using drugs. Furthermore, the results of our research work on the effectiveness of the family component allow us to assert that it is usually very welcome among the participating families, favouring positive change tendencies in their attitudes and behaviours.

^ back to top

Why is “Contruyendo Salud” preferable than other programmes?

C.S. is not only an intervention with a solid theoretical basis but also an empirically founded programme that includes a rigorous evaluation of its implementation process and results. By means of this evaluation work we gathered many positive results in our purpose of reducing the use of drugs and promoting protection factors against drug use during adolescence. The programme was highly valued by participating teachers and teenagers and it has already been re-implemented in different Spanish places since its first implementation ten years ago. All these issues turn “Construyendo Salud” into one of the most solid and scientifically guaranteed prevention programmes for schoolchildren.

^ back to top