HLTH 1000 Week 6 Midterm Discussion Post Example

Course	HLTH 1000 Concepts of Health Promotion
Week	Week 6
Paper type	Midterm discussion post with replies
Length	About 580 words, 4 pages
Format	Discussion post, APA 7 citations
School	Walden University
Program	BS in Public Health
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for HLTH 1000 Week 6

Week 6 Discussion: Did a Prevention Program Work?

Did D.A.R.E. Work? Only After Deciding "Worked" Means Less Drug Use Years Later, and on That Measure the Evaluations Say No

Before saying whether D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) worked, I want to ask: worked at what? The program, in which police officers taught drug prevention lessons in elementary school classrooms, could be judged on whether students learned facts about drugs, whether their attitudes changed, whether relations between police and young people improved or whether students used fewer drugs as teenagers and young adults. These are different outcomes, measured over different periods, and a program can succeed on one and fail on another.

I am choosing the last one: lower drug use, measured years after the lessons. That is the outcome the program was named for, and it is the one that matters for health. Knowledge and attitudes are only useful if they lead there.

On that measure, the evaluations are consistent. Ennett et al. (1994) pooled eight evaluations and found that D.A.R.E.'s short-term effect on drug use was small and smaller than that of interactive prevention programs, while its effect on knowledge about drugs was larger. A later meta-analysis of 11 studies found an overall effect on drug use close to zero (West & O'Neal, 2004). The longest follow-up I found tracked about 1,000 people who had received either D.A.R.E. or standard drug education in sixth grade and reassessed them at age 20. The researchers found few differences in drug use, drug attitudes or self-esteem, and in no case did the D.A.R.E. group do better (Lynam et al., 1999). These designs differ, a meta-analysis of short-term studies and a 10-year follow-up of a comparison group, but they point the same way.

The strongest point on the other side is that these studies evaluated the original curriculum. D.A.R.E. later adopted a different curriculum, keepin' it REAL, so the old findings may not describe the program schools use today. That is fair, and it means my answer applies to the program as it ran in the 1980s and 1990s. Caputi and McLellan (2017) argue, though, that the evidence for the new curriculum in the elementary grades where D.A.R.E. teaches it is thin, so "the new version works" is not yet established either.

So, on the measure I chose, the original D.A.R.E. did not work. Question for the board: if a program reliably raises knowledge but not behavior, should we count it as a partial success, or does that only move the goalposts?

What this page is doingThe post defines the win before giving a verdict, attributes every finding to its study and design and concedes the strongest point against it in specific terms.

Reply to Keisha

Keisha, I agree that D.A.R.E. made many students and parents feel positive about police officers, and you cite survey evidence for that. My question is about the measure. If the program's goal was drug prevention, then good feelings toward officers are a side benefit, not the outcome. Would you judge a smoking prevention program a success if students liked the teacher but smoked at the same rate? I think your evidence shows the program succeeded at something, just not the thing it was funded to do.

What this page is doingThe reply grants the classmate's evidence and presses only on whether that evidence measures the program's stated outcome.

Reply to Tomás

Tomás, you argued that D.A.R.E. worked because students' knowledge scores rose after the lessons. That matches Ennett et al. (1994), who found larger effects on knowledge than on drug use. But the same review found that the knowledge gains did not carry through to behavior to any useful degree. What would convince you that knowledge is the right measure? If knowledge rose and drug use did not change, what was the knowledge for?

What this page is doingAsking what would change the classmate's mind keeps the disagreement on the choice of measure rather than on the verdict.

References

Caputi, T. L., & McLellan, A. T. (2017). Truth and D.A.R.E.: Is D.A.R.E.'s new Keepin' it REAL curriculum suitable for American nationwide implementation? Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 24(1), 49-57. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687637.2016.1208731

Ennett, S. T., Tobler, N. S., Ringwalt, C. L., & Flewelling, R. L. (1994). How effective is drug abuse resistance education? A meta-analysis of Project DARE outcome evaluations. American Journal of Public Health, 84(9), 1394-1401. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.84.9.1394

Lynam, D. R., Milich, R., Zimmerman, R., Novak, S. P., Logan, T. K., Martin, C., Leukefeld, C., & Clayton, R. (1999). Project DARE: No effects at 10-year follow-up. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67(4), 590-593. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.67.4.590

West, S. L., & O'Neal, K. K. (2004). Project D.A.R.E. outcome effectiveness revisited. American Journal of Public Health, 94(6), 1027-1029. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.94.6.1027

What the HLTH 1000 Week 6 instructions ask for

A midterm debate board asks you to argue, which means defining what would count as winning. Before giving a verdict on a program, list the different outcomes it could be judged on and choose one, explaining why. Present the evidence on that outcome with each finding attributed to its study, year and design, so classmates can weigh it. Report what researchers found rather than what you believe is true. Give a specific concession to the strongest point on the other side. End with one question that keeps the thread going. In replies, focus on how a classmate chose to measure success, not only on whether they agreed with you.

Inside the HLTH 1000 Week 6 example

The post opens by asking what D.A.R.E. should be judged on and lists four possible outcomes. It commits to drug use measured years later and explains why. The evidence paragraph reports Ennett and colleagues on short-term effects, West and O'Neal on pooled effects and Lynam and colleagues on a ten-year follow-up, naming each design. The concession acknowledges that the curriculum changed, with Caputi and McLellan's assessment of the new version. A closing question asks whether knowledge gains without behavior change count. One reply asks a classmate to judge good feelings toward police against the program's stated aim; the other asks what knowledge gains were for.

Where the marks sit in the HLTH 1000 Week 6 rubric

Faculty assess a midterm post on the quality of its argument. Defining the measure before the verdict is often the most valued move, because it shows the student understands that effectiveness depends on the outcome chosen. Evidence should be attributed precisely, with study designs named. A concession that addresses the strongest opposing point specifically, rather than gesturing at complexity, earns credit. The post should remain concise enough for classmates to read in full. Replies count for more when they test how a classmate reasoned rather than restating the verdict. Faculty also check that citations appear in the text and that references are complete. Posts that assert a verdict without defining success earn less. The closing question is also read closely, since a good one gives classmates a specific point to answer.

HLTH 1000 Week 6 help from the desk

The quickest way to improve a debate post is to ask, before anything else, "worked at what?" Write down the possible outcomes and pick one. Then find studies that measured that outcome and note how each was designed. Report findings as findings. Look for the strongest argument against your view and give it a sentence or two of real credit. Keep the post short; classmates are reading many. In replies, ask about measures rather than repeating your verdict. We can help you build a debate post around a program you choose. Check that every finding in your post can be traced to a named study.

Get a HLTH 1000 Week 6 example written to your instructions

Two things decide this draft: the board prompt for the midterm thread and whatever rubric scores discussions in your section. Name the program under debate as well, and a post plus two replies gets written to it, evidence attributed and the measure defined. First custom sample: no charge, 24 to 48 hours. Another program slots in without one.

More HLTH 1000 papers and BS in Public Health samples

HLTH 1000 Week 6 questions, answered

Where can I find a free HLTH 1000 Week 6 sample paper?

The midterm post arguing whether D.A.R.E. worked, with two replies and references, is free to read here.

What measure does the HLTH 1000 Week 6 example choose?

Lower drug use measured years after the lessons, the outcome the program was named for.

What did the evaluations find on that measure?

Small or near-zero effects on drug use, and no advantage for the D.A.R.E. group at a ten-year follow-up.

What concession does the post make?

That the studies evaluated the original curriculum, which was later replaced.

How do the replies challenge classmates?

By asking whether feelings toward officers or knowledge scores measure the program's stated aim.