A survey of educator perspectives toward teaching harm reduction cannabis education.
<h4>Introduction</h4>Substance use is common among youth which can adversely affect youth health. Despite the legalization of cannabis in Canada and much of the United States, there is a lack of harm reduction cannabis education in schools. In addition, educators may not feel prepared to...
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2024-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0299085&type=printable |
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| author | Molly K Downey Lisa D Bishop Jennifer R Donnan Emily C Rowe Nick Harris |
| author_facet | Molly K Downey Lisa D Bishop Jennifer R Donnan Emily C Rowe Nick Harris |
| author_sort | Molly K Downey |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Introduction</h4>Substance use is common among youth which can adversely affect youth health. Despite the legalization of cannabis in Canada and much of the United States, there is a lack of harm reduction cannabis education in schools. In addition, educators may not feel prepared to teach students about cannabis.<h4>Methods</h4>A cross-sectional survey explored educator perceptions toward teaching harm reduction substance use education to students in grades 4-12. Data analysis included descriptive statistics to evaluate demographic variables, ANOVAs to identify subgroup differences, and inductive thematic analysis to establish themes from open-ended responses. From the sample of 170 educators, the majority were female (77%) and worked as classroom teachers (59%).<h4>Results</h4>Ninety-two percent of educators felt harm reduction was an effective approach to substance use education, and 84% stated that they would feel comfortable teaching cannabis harm reduction education to students. While 68% of educators believed they would be able to recognize if a student was under the influence of cannabis, only 39% felt certain about how to respond to student cannabis use, and just 8% felt that their current teacher training allowed them to intervene and prevent cannabis-related harms. Most educators (89%) expressed interest in harm reduction training, particularly interactive training (70%) and instructor-led lessons (51%). Online curriculum resources were preferred by 57%. Responses differed by gender and age group, with females of any age and educators under 40 reporting greater support of harm reduction approaches and more interest in training.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Educators expressed considerable support for harm reduction substance use education, but many felt unprepared to address this topic with students. The findings identified a need for educator training on harm reduction substance use education, so that educators can help students make informed choices around substance use, thereby promoting youth health and safety. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9aec9ec5fc184524a1fc91003f5334dd |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-9aec9ec5fc184524a1fc91003f5334dd2025-08-20T01:48:11ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-01195e029908510.1371/journal.pone.0299085A survey of educator perspectives toward teaching harm reduction cannabis education.Molly K DowneyLisa D BishopJennifer R DonnanEmily C RoweNick Harris<h4>Introduction</h4>Substance use is common among youth which can adversely affect youth health. Despite the legalization of cannabis in Canada and much of the United States, there is a lack of harm reduction cannabis education in schools. In addition, educators may not feel prepared to teach students about cannabis.<h4>Methods</h4>A cross-sectional survey explored educator perceptions toward teaching harm reduction substance use education to students in grades 4-12. Data analysis included descriptive statistics to evaluate demographic variables, ANOVAs to identify subgroup differences, and inductive thematic analysis to establish themes from open-ended responses. From the sample of 170 educators, the majority were female (77%) and worked as classroom teachers (59%).<h4>Results</h4>Ninety-two percent of educators felt harm reduction was an effective approach to substance use education, and 84% stated that they would feel comfortable teaching cannabis harm reduction education to students. While 68% of educators believed they would be able to recognize if a student was under the influence of cannabis, only 39% felt certain about how to respond to student cannabis use, and just 8% felt that their current teacher training allowed them to intervene and prevent cannabis-related harms. Most educators (89%) expressed interest in harm reduction training, particularly interactive training (70%) and instructor-led lessons (51%). Online curriculum resources were preferred by 57%. Responses differed by gender and age group, with females of any age and educators under 40 reporting greater support of harm reduction approaches and more interest in training.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Educators expressed considerable support for harm reduction substance use education, but many felt unprepared to address this topic with students. The findings identified a need for educator training on harm reduction substance use education, so that educators can help students make informed choices around substance use, thereby promoting youth health and safety.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0299085&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | Molly K Downey Lisa D Bishop Jennifer R Donnan Emily C Rowe Nick Harris A survey of educator perspectives toward teaching harm reduction cannabis education. PLoS ONE |
| title | A survey of educator perspectives toward teaching harm reduction cannabis education. |
| title_full | A survey of educator perspectives toward teaching harm reduction cannabis education. |
| title_fullStr | A survey of educator perspectives toward teaching harm reduction cannabis education. |
| title_full_unstemmed | A survey of educator perspectives toward teaching harm reduction cannabis education. |
| title_short | A survey of educator perspectives toward teaching harm reduction cannabis education. |
| title_sort | survey of educator perspectives toward teaching harm reduction cannabis education |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0299085&type=printable |
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