Sept. 11, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -
By Gary Brown, The NCAA News
Division II is beginning an innovative educational approach to the issue of alcohol and other drug use by launching the "myPlaybook" program this week. Researchers have e-mailed more than 5,000 freshman student-athletes at about 60 Division II schools, inviting them to participate in a baseline survey.
The myPlaybook program is administered by University of North Carolina, Greensboro, professors David Wyrick and Melodie Fearnow-Kenney, who received a National Institutes of Health grant to develop a Web-based educational model specifically for student-athletes that influences attitudes and behaviors regarding alcohol and other drug use. The program is being piloted with Division II student-athletes this year.
The Division II pilot will focus primarily on alcohol and marijuana use, as well as general information on NCAA-banned substances and drug testing. The program includes pre- and post-test online student surveys to measure success and tools to track student progress. The course also directs student-athletes to the Resource Exchange Center hosted by The National Center for Drug Free Sport for more content on banned substances. Overall, the curriculum identifies social norms, outlines ramifications of alcohol use and abuse, and gives student-athletes the tools they need to make better choices.
Survey participants will receive a T-shirt with the "myPlaybook" logo on the front and the "I Chose Division II" moniker on the back.
After the baseline survey is completed, the cohort will be stratified into two groups.
In early October, Group 1 will complete an online intervention course that includes information about NCAA-banned substances, interactive scenarios and a series of situation-based "lessons."
In late October, Group 1 will be surveyed again to assess the early effects of the intervention. Group 2 also will be surveyed to establish itself as the control group to which Group 1 will be compared. Group 2 completes the intervention course in early November.
Division II officials are considering extending the program to the spring to accommodate institutions that expressed interest in the curriculum but were unable to participate this fall.
