Research shows that the OurFutures courses improve student outcomes by:

Increasing knowledge about alcohol, cannabis, MDMA and new psychoactive substances

Reducing alcohol consumption and binge drinking

Reducing cannabis and ecstasy use

Slowing the progression of anxiety symptoms*

Reducing psychological distress

Reducing harms related to the use of alcohol and ecstasy

Reducing intentions to use MDMA, psychostimulants, new psychoactive substances and synthetic cannabis

Improving attitudes towards alcohol

*when the Alcohol & Cannabis Module and Mental Health Module are delivered together

The effectiveness of the online courses has been established in 7 large randomised controlled trials (RCTs), including >14,600 students from 169 schools across Australia. The OurFutures program was evaluated and the evidence was published using the name Climate Schools.

Publications: Alcohol module
  • Vogl, L. E., & Teesson, M. (2006). The efficacy of a computerised school based prevention program for problems with alcohol use: Climate Schools. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 30, 198A.
  • Vogl, L., Teesson, M., Andrews, G., Bird, K., Steadman, M., & Dillon, P. (2009). A computerised harm minimisation prevention program for alcohol misuse and related harms: randomised controlled trial. Addiction. 104, 564-575. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2009.02510.x
  • Newton, N. C., Vogl, L. E., Teesson, M., Andrews, G. (2009). Climate Schools: Alcohol module: Cross-validation of a school based prevention program for alcohol misuse. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 43, 201-207. https://doi.org/10.1080/00048670802653364
  • Vogl, L.E., M. Teesson., Newton, N. C., & G. Andrews. (2012). Developing a school-based drug prevention program to overcome barriers to effective program implementation: The CLIMATE schools: Alcohol module. Open Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2, 410-422. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojpm.2012.23059
Publications: Alcohol & Cannabis module
  • Newton, N.C., Andrews, G., Teesson, M., & Vogl, L.E. (2009). Delivering prevention for alcohol and cannabis using the internet: A cluster randomised controlled trial. Preventive Medicine, 48, 579-584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.04.009
  • Newton, N. C., Teesson, M., Vogl, L. E., Andrews, G. (2010). Internet-based prevention for alcohol and cannabis use: Final results of the Climate Schools course. Addiction, 105, 749-759. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2009.02853.x
  • Newton, N. C., Vogl, L. E., Teesson, M., & Andrews, G. (2011). Developing the Climate Schools: Alcohol and cannabis module: A harm minimisation, universal drug prevention program facilitated by the internet. Substance Use and Misuse, 46, 1651-1663. https://doi.org/10.3109/10826084.2011.613441
  • Newton, N., Andrews, G., Champion, K., & Teesson, M. (2014). Universal Internet-based prevention for alcohol and cannabis use reduces truancy, psychological distress and moral disengagement: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Preventive Medicine, 65, 109.115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.05.003
  • Newton, N. C., Conrod, P., Rodriguez, D., & Teesson, M. (2014). A pilot study of an online universal school-based intervention to prevent alcohol and cannabis use in the UK. BMJ Open, 4(5). https://doi.org/10.1136%2Fbmjopen-2013-004750
  • Champion, K.E., Newton, N.C., Stapinski, L., Slade, T., Barrett, E.L & Teesson, M. (2016). A cross-validation trial of an Internet-based prevention program for alcohol and cannabis: Preliminary results from a cluster randomised controlled trial. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 50(1): 64-73. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0004867415577435
  • Conroy, C., Champion, K. E., Chapman, C., Slade, T., Thornton, L., Teesson, M., & Newton, N. C. (2020). Adolescents’ Perspectives on Substance Use Prevention: A qualitative study among Australian school students. Mental Health & Prevention, 19, 200183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhp.2020.200183
  • Newton, N.,* Chapman, C.,* Slade, T., Birrell, L., Healy, A., Mather, M., McBride, N., Hides., L., Allsop, S., Mewton, L., Andrews, G., & Teesson, M. (2020). A national effectiveness trial of an eHealth program to prevent alcohol and cannabis misuse: responding to the replication crisis. Psychological Medicine, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291720001919 (*equally credited authors).
Publications: Cannabis & Psychostimulants module
  • Vogl, L., Newton, N., Champion, K., & Teesson, M. (2014). A universal harm-minimisation approach to preventing Psychostimulant and cannabis use in adolescents: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 9(1), 24 https://doi.org/10.1186%2F1747-597X-9-24
Publications: MDMA & emerging drugs module
  • Newton, N. C., Teesson, M., & Newton, K. (2012). Developing the Climate Schools: Ecstasy Module. A Universal Internet-Based Drug Prevention Program. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 44(5), 372-380. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2012.736804
  • Champion, K. E., Teesson, M., & Newton, N.C. (2013). A cluster randomised controlled trial of the Climate Schools: Ecstasy and Emerging Drugs Module in Australian secondary schools: study protocol. BMC Public Health, 13(1168). https://doi.org/10.1186%2F1471-2458-13-1168
  • Champion, K. E., Teesson, M. and Newton, N. C. (2015). Development of a Universal Internet-Based Prevention Program for Ecstasy and New Psychoactive Substances. Open Journal of Preventive Medicine, 5(1), 23-30. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojpm.2015.51003
  • Champion, K. E., Newton, N. C, Stapinski, L. & Teesson, M. (2016). Effectiveness of a universal Internet-based prevention program for ecstasy and new psychoactive substances: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Addiction, 111(8): 1396-1405. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13345
  • Champion, K. E., Teesson, M., Stapinski, L. & Newton, N. C. (2018). Cluster randomised controlled trial of an online intervention to prevent ecstasy and new psychoactive substance use among adolescents: final results and implications for implementation. BMJ Open, 8(11), e020433. https://doi.org/10.1136%2Fbmjopen-2017-020433
Findings from the Climate and Preventure (CAP) study
  • Newton, N. C., Teesson, M., Barrett, E. L., Slade, T., & Conrod, P. J. (2012). The CAP study, evaluation of integrated universal and selective prevention strategies for youth alcohol misuse: Study protocol of a cluster randomised controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry, 12, (118). https://doi.org/10.1186%2F1471-244X-12-118
  • Teesson, M., Newton, N. C., Slade, T., Carragher, N., Barrett, E. L., Champion, K. E., Kelly, E. V., Nair, N. K., Stapinski, L. & Conrod, P. (2017). Combined universal and selective prevention for adolescent alcohol use: a cluster randomized controlled trial. Psychological Medicine, 22, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291717000198
  • Newton, N. C.*, Stapinski, L.*, Slade, T., Champion, K., Barrett, E., Chapman, C., Smout, A., Lawler, S., Mather, M., Castellanous-Ryan, N., Conrod, P., & Teesson, M. (2018). Pathways to prevention: Protocol for the CAP (Climate and Preventure) study to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of a school-based universal, selective and combined alcohol misuse prevention into early adulthood. BMC Public Health, 18, 643. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5554-y (*equally credited first authors)
  • Newton, N. C.*, Teesson, M.*, Mather, M., Champion, K., Barrett., E., Kelly, E., Carragher, N., Conrod, P., & Slade, T. (2018). Universal cannabis outcomes from the Climate and Preventure (CAP) study: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Substance Abuse Treatment Prevention & Policy, 13(1), 34. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13011-018-0171-4 (*equally credited first authors)
  • Newton, N. C., Stapinski, L., Teesson, M., Slade, T., Champion, K. E., Barrett, E. L., Birrell, L., Kelly, E., Mather, M., & Conrod, P. J. (2020). Evaluating the differential effectiveness of social influence and personality-targeted alcohol prevention on mental health outcomes among high-risk youth: A novel cluster randomised controlled factorial design trial. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 54(3), 259-271. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867419877948
  • Slade, T., Newton, N. C., Mather, M., Barrett, E. L., Champion, K. E., Stapinski, L., Conrod, P. J., & Teesson, M. (2021). The long-term effectiveness of universal, selective and combined prevention for alcohol use during adolescence: 36-month outcomes from a cluster randomized controlled trial. Addiction, 116(3), 514-524. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15178
  • Newton, N.,* Stapinski, L.*, Slade, T., Sunderland, M., Barrett, E., Champion, K. Chapman, C., Smout, A., Lawler, S., Mather, M., Debenham, J. Castellanous-Ryan, N., Conrod, P., & Teesson, M. (2022). The 7-year effectiveness of school-based alcohol use prevention from adolescence to early adulthood: An RCT of universal, selective and combined interventions. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 61(4), 520-532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2021.10.023 (*equally credited first authors).
Information on the Climate Schools Combined (CSC) study
  • Van Vliet, H., & Andrews, G. (2008). An internet based course for management of stress for junior high schools. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 43(4): 305-309. https://doi.org/10.1080/00048670902721145
  • Wong, N., Kady, L., Mewton, L., Sunderland, M., & Andrews, G. (2014). Preventing anxiety and depression in adolescents: A randomised controlled trial of two school based Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy programmes. Internet Interventions, 1: 90-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2014.05.004
  • Teesson, M., Newton, N. C., Slade, T., Chapman, C., Tonks, Z., Birrell, L., Allsop, S., McBride, N., Hides, L., Mewton, L. (2014). The Climate Schools Combined study: a cluster randomised controlled trial of a universal Internet-based prevention program for youth substance misuse, depression and anxiety. BMC Psychiatry, 14 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244x-14-32
  • Birrell, L.*, Newton, N. C.*, Slade, T., Chapman, C., Mewton, L., McBride, N., Hides, L., Chatterton, M., Allsop, S., Healy, A., Mather, M., Quinn, C., Mihalopoulos, C., & Teesson, M. (2018). Evaluating the Long-Term Effectiveness of School-Based Depression, Anxiety, and Substance Use Prevention Into Young Adulthood: Protocol for the Climate School Combined Study. JMIR Research Protocols, 7(11), e11372. https://doi.org/10.2196/11372 (*equally credited first authors)
  • Newton, N.,*, Teesson, M.,* Slade, T., Chapman, C., Birrell, L., Mewton, L., Mather, M., Hides, L., McBride, N., Allsop, S., Andrews, G. (2020). Combined prevention for substance use, depression and anxiety in adolescence: A cluster randomised controlled trial of a digital online intervention. Lancet Digital Health, 2(2), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2589-7500(19)30213-4 (*equally credited first authors).
  • Andrews, J.L., Birrell, L., Chapman, C., Teesson, M., Newton, N., Allsop, S., McBride, N., Hides, L., Andrews, G., Olsen, N., Mewton, L.*, & Slade, T.* (2022). Evaluating the effectiveness of a universal eHealth school-based prevention program for depression and anxiety, and the moderating role of friendship network characteristics. Psychological Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291722002033 (*joint senior author)
Information on the Climate Schools Plus (CSP) study
  • Thornton, L., Chapman, C., Leidl, D., Conroy, C., Teesson, M., Slade, T., Koning, I., Champion, K., Stapinski, L., & Newton, N. (2018). Climate Schools Plus: An online, combined student and parent, universal drug prevention program. Internet Interventions, 12, 36-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2018.03.007
  • Newton, N. C.*, Chapman, C.*, Slade, T., Conroy, C., Thornton, L., Champion, K., Stapinski, L., Koning, I., & Teesson, M. (2018). Internet-based universal prevention for students and parents to prevent alcohol and cannabis use among adolescents: Protocol for the randomized controlled trial of Climate Schools Plus. JMIR Research Protocols, 7(8), e10849. https://doi.org/10.2196/10849 (*equally credited first authors)
Other Climate Schools research
  • Teesson, M., Newton, N. C., & Barrett, E. L. (2012). Australian school-based prevention programs for alcohol and other drugs: a systematic review. Drug and Alcohol Review, 31(6), 731-736. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1465-3362.2012.00420.x
  • Champion, K. E., Newton, N. C., & Barrett, E. L. (2013). A systematic review of school-based alcohol and other drug prevention programs facilitated by computers or the Internet. Drug and Alcohol Review, 32(2), 115-123. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1465-3362.2012.00517.x
  • Champion, K. E., Newton, N. C & Teesson, M. (2016). Prevention of alcohol and other drug use and related harm in the digital age: What does the evidence tell us? Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 29(4), 242-249. https://doi.org/10.1097/yco.0000000000000258
Significant Grants

The development and evaluation of the programs was made possible through a number of research grants and fellowships awarded to Professor Teesson, Professor Newton, Dr Champion, Dr Vogl, Professor Andrews and their colleagues at the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales Sydney.

    • 2017: Taking the Climate Schools model to Scale as OurFutures – The Paul Ramsay Foundation
    • 2017: The Health4Life Trial – The Paul Ramsay Foundation
    • 2017: The Climate Schools Combined (CSC) long-term trial – NHMRC
    • 2017: The Climate and Preventure (CAP) long-term trial – NHMRC
    • 2016: Climate Schools Plus (CSP) development and trial – Australian Government Department of Health
    • 2013: The Climate Schools Combined (CSC) study – NHMRC
    • 2012: The Climate and Preventure (CAP) study – NHMRC
    • 2010: Ecstasy module development – Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
    • 2007: Cannabis & Psychostimulants module development and trial – Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
    • 2006: Alcohol & Cannabis module development and trial – Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation
    • 2007: Alcohol module development and trial – ARC Discovery
Students
  • Katrina Champion, PhD student, NDARC, UNSW Sydney (2012 – 2016; NHMRC PhD scholarship) – “Paying attention to prevention: An internet-based framework to address alcohol, cannabis, ecstasy and new psychoactive substance use”.
  • Nicola Newton, PhD student, NDARC, UNSW Sydney (2006 – 2009; AERF PhD scholarship) – “The development and evaluation of a school-based prevention program for alcohol and cannabis use delivered via the Internet”.
  • Laura Vogl, PhD student, NDARC, UNSW Sydney (2003 – 2007; PhD scholarship) – “Development and evaluation of the computerised Climate Schools: Alcohol module”.

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