ABSTRACT
Substance use and its associated effects have contributed significantly to the increase of public health problems in Indonesia including among adolescents. Therefore, an effective substance use prevention program should be developed and implemented. This study aimed to identify teachers’ perceptions about the implementation of substance use prevention programs for school-age children in the Aceh Province in particular, and Indonesia in general. This qualitative study involved teachers and principals from four junior high schools randomly selected from a municipal district in the western part of Indonesia. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analysed manually using content analysis techniques. Findings of this study suggest that all the interviewed teachers and school principals agreed to the importance of school-based substance use prevention programs for school-age children. An effective and appropriate program should be carried out continuously, use interactive methods, involve teachers and related experts, be implemented integrative and conducted during school time. The involvement of religious teaching and religious experts were considered vital for program effectiveness. Lack of time and low parent participation were considered as the main potential barriers for the program implementation. The implementation of school-based substance use prevention programs in schools would be accepted, feasible, and considered effective by school teachers in Aceh, Indonesia. The findings can be used as a basis for further research on substance use prevention programs for adolescents in school setting.
