Description

The Staff/Team Evaluation of Prevention Programs (STEPP-45) is a structured self-report assessment tool designed to evaluate young people’s opinions, attitudes, and experiences regarding substance use prevention programs.

The instrument is based on the work of J. D. Hawkins and B. Nederhood and has been adapted by KETHEA for application among primary and secondary school students in Greece.

The STEPP-45 focuses on students’ perceptions of prevention interventions and provides information regarding the effectiveness, acceptance, and educational value of school-based prevention programs.

Objective

The main objective of the STEPP-45 is to evaluate the impact, effectiveness, and acceptance of prevention programs from the students’ perspective.

The questionnaire aims to:

Assess students’ perceptions regarding prevention activities.

Identify needs for improvement in prevention services.

Support the development and refinement of school-based interventions.

Structure and Content

The STEPP-45 evaluates multiple components related to prevention program outcomes.

The questionnaire examines:

Cognitive Components, including knowledge and understanding gained through prevention programs.

Emotional Components, including attitudes, beliefs, and feelings related to substance use prevention.

Behavioural Components, including intentions, expectations, and potential behavioural responses following participation in prevention activities.

The instrument includes statements and questions that allow students to express their views regarding prevention interventions.

Scoring Method

The STEPP-45 uses Likert-type response scales, including formats such as:

“Not at all” to “Very much”

or

“Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”.

Responses are converted into numerical scores, allowing calculation of:

Average scores for thematic sections.

Cumulative indices representing overall program evaluation.

Higher scores indicate more positive perceptions and stronger acceptance of prevention programs.

Data Analysis and Use

The STEPP-45 provides quantitative information regarding students’ perceptions of prevention programs.

Data analysis may include:

Descriptive statistics, such as means and standard deviations.

Correlation analyses to examine relationships between variables.

Comparative analyses according to characteristics such as gender, age, or school.

The results are used to improve prevention programs, support educational planning, and contribute to public health policy development.

The instrument can also be used to assess longitudinal changes in attitudes following participation in prevention interventions.

Validity

The STEPP-45 demonstrates satisfactory conceptual and content validity, as it is based on established prevention models and empirical findings from social sciences research.

The adaptation by KETHEA followed scientific criteria to ensure relevance and suitability within Greek educational and social contexts.

Reliability

Specific psychometric indicators for the Greek version have not been published.

However, the reliability of the instrument is supported by its repeated application in research and educational settings.

The original version was evaluated regarding internal consistency and test–retest reliability within the U.S. public health system.

Applications

The STEPP-45 can be used in:

School-based substance use prevention programs.

Evaluation of educational interventions.

Public health prevention research.

Assessment of student attitudes and knowledge regarding substance use prevention.

Program improvement and policy planning.

Reference

Hawkins, J. D., & Nederhood, B. (1987). Handbook for Evaluating Drug and Alcohol Prevention Programs. Staff/Team Evaluation of Prevention Programs (STEPP). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Maryland: DHHS Publication No. (ADM 87-1512).