Botvin Life Skills Training (LST)

Botvin Life Skills Training (LST)

BOTVIN Program

Botvin Life Skills Training (LST), an evidence-based program developed by prevention and health behavior experts at Cornell University, is a school-based prevention program for middle school students. LST consists of 15 lessons and teaches a variety of personal self-management skills and social skills to increase perceived self-efficacy and reduce the perceived incentives of substance use in youth and young adults.

Twelve UK Extension agents collaborated with their local middle schools to deliver LST to more than 1,000 Kentucky middle school students.

Program Outcomes

Pre-post analysis of students’ responses to the evaluation instrument showed statistically significant improvements on all outcomes.

  • 16% decrease in students’ disposition to substance use
  • 19% increase in students’ substance use refusal skills
  • 10% improvement in measures of honesty
  • 12% increase in students’ resilience

Contacts: Alex Elswick & Katherine Jury

Contact Information

Pamela D. Holbrook
Administrative Support Associate I

708 W.P. Garrigus Building Lexington, KY 40546-0215

+1 (859) 257-7193

pamela.holbrook@uky.edu