The effect of an electronic module about drug abuse prevention on teachers’ beliefs in Indonesia

Abstract

Background: Drug abuse is a serious global health problem. Globally, 210 million people use illicit drugs each year, of which 200,000 die from drugs. Evidence shows that most drug addicts start using drugs in adolescence (<15-years-old). Adolescents need role models who are able to guide them; teachers have important roles as they are primary role models for students. Therefore, teachers should have positive beliefs to guide students effectively, i.e. they should have good awareness about the threat of drug abuse and high confidence to implement required prevention. This research developed an alternative electronic delivery method of learning material to empower teachers in preventing drug abuse. This study aimed to compare the effect of the electronic and a printed teaching module on teachers’ beliefs about drug abuse prevention. Methods: 260 junior high school teachers were selected randomly. These teachers were split into intervention and control groups. Before intervention, a questionnaire was completed by both groups. The teachers then completed the learning material: electronic module in intervention group and printed module in control group. One month later, data was collected from both groups using the same questionnaire to assess the beliefs of the teachers Results: There was significant positive effect on teachers’ beliefs, both in the intervention and control groups. All categories of beliefs at one month after intervention were significantly higher than those at baseline (P<0.001). Based on between group comparison analysis of mean changes, perceived susceptibility in the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group (P<0.001), while perceived severity, benefits, barriers and efficacy were not significantly different (P>0.05). Conclusions: Electronic and printed module intervention significantly increased teachers’ beliefs in drug abuse prevention. The printed module was still effective to be used as learning media, while the electronic module was an alternative with some advantages.