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Program Assumptions For Some Common ATOD Prevention Programs (from Prevention Plus III)

The sections below provide a brief overview of the ways in which we think specific activities and strategies will affect alcohol and other drug use.

Community Based Processes: Raising awareness and involvement in the community

Projects to raise awareness are based on the assumption that the members of the community are not sufficiently aware of the problems associated with ATOD use in their neighborhood. For example, if people had more factual information about the levels of ATOD use (e.g., through the results of an ATOD use survey), this knowledge might lead to new program initiatives., and greater concern and monitoring of the activities of the community's children, friends, or neighbors. Over time, this attention can result in reduced levels of drug use.

There are a number of different ways to raise awareness, such as a media campaign, including a designated awareness day during which the community can signify support for the campaign with a symbolic gesture like wearing a red ribbon or a specific T-shirt. Some efforts may focus awareness activities on a certain group in the community via specific channels such as church groups, local civic clubs, business groups, teachers, parents, etc.

The success of most prevention efforts will be enhanced if more segments of the community are involved. Community advisory councils and community coalitions involving the business and education sector are mechanisms to develop multifaceted community involvement. These groups can function as a unit to stimulate other activities such as those described in this section. In general they serve to raise awareness, influence creation of new programs, and generate resources for new initiatives. They generally would be evaluated in terms of how many other activities they were able to accomplish or stimulate.

Information Dissemination and Education: Increasing the knowledge of teachers, parents, and students

This strategy for preventing ATOD problems is based on the assumption that youth would not use illicit substances if they fully understood their dangerous effects. Awareness programs for teachers and parents usually include information about the effects of alcohol and other drugs along with information on the signs and symptoms of use. If parents and teachers have accurate information they can communicate this to students, and if they know the signs and symptoms of ATOD use, they can identify early use and take steps to prevent continued use. These programs generally are not effective if they are not part of a broader based prevention effort, however.

Programs to increase knowledge, as part of a larger, more comprehensive prevention strategy, might involve the purchase of materials, such as films, books, brochures, and other curricular materials for students and teachers. (However, these can only be effective if the materials are used.) Teachers might attend an in-service training program designed to give them information about the effects of illicit substances, symptoms of drug use, referral policies, and available prevention services. Parents might receive pamphlets or brochures with such information. Some schools implement an information-based drug and alcohol curriculum as a way to raise the knowledge level of students and teachers. Increased knowledge about drug and alcohol use is presumed to be the most important outcome of these prevention efforts. It must be remembered, however, that it is unlikely that this strategy, used alone, will be useful. In fact, some research suggests that facts alone may make some youth curious enough to try using alcohol or other drugs.

Community-Based Processes, Alternative Activities, and Environmental Strategies: Changing norms and expectations about alcohol and other drug use

Youth who use alcohol and other illicit drugs tend to believe that their use of these substances is okay and will not have negative effects for them. An important prevention strategy is to promote youth attitudes that are negative toward alcohol and drug use, and to maintain an atmosphere that enforces negative consequences for illicit drug use. Strict no-use policies in school and in the community foster an environment that does not support or condone drug use. No-use media campaigns are designed to produce early anti-use attitudes. Involving youth in drug-free youth groups, no-use poster con tests, and youth modeling drug-free behavior are ways to change attitudes and beliefs about drug use. If youth participate in these activities, their behavior is likely to be consistent with the no-use message of these activities. Negative attitudes toward ATOD use are a key outcome of these prevention efforts.

Education: Enhance parenting skills and positive family influence

There is some evidence that youth who become involved in illicit drug use come from families in which there is poor discipline (e.g., overly strict or overly permissive parenting), poor super- vision, and poor parent-child communication. A prevention strategy based on these research findings is to enhance parenting skills through a parent training or education program. If parents improve their parenting skills, then parent-child communication is likely to improve, along with increased parent involvement with the child, and more effective supervision and discipline. These in turn may lead to reductions in ATOD use by the child. The key outcomes in this approach are improved parenting skills, improved parent-child communication, and more consistent and effective discipline practices.

A second strategy focused on parents is to enhance parents' organizational and networking skills so that they may become more effective in stimulating or initiating new programs, and in forming parent networks that might share information about youth activities and ultimately in- crease the level of supervision and parent involvement in youth activities. A key outcome here is the creation of parent networks and increases in parental awareness of the problems of alcohol and other drug use.

Education: Enhancing student resistance skills

Youth who become involved with alcohol and other drugs may have difficulty resisting peer pressure, making good decisions, and coping with the everyday social and interpersonal demands of their lives. Enhancing these skills may lead the youth to make better decisions and be more effective in resisting peer pressure. Furthermore, some youth may use alcohol or other drugs as a way of coping with stress and anxiety. The development of stress management skills and other ways of coping with anxiety should reduce the "need" to use alcohol and other drugs.

There are a variety of curricula designed to enhance peer resistance skills, coping skills, and stress reduction skills. Additionally, participation in other activities that develop leadership abilities and either directly or indirectly teach resistance and problem-solving skills should result in the same outcomes.

Alternative Activities: Increase involvement in school by parents and students

Increasing youth commitment to school and involvement in school activities can lead to reduction and prevention of ATOD use in several ways. Increased involvement in ATOD-free activities simply leaves less time for ATOD-involved activity. Increased involvement in school typically in- creases identification with values consistent with school and inconsistent with ATOD use. Such involvement in school also makes graduation more likely; this accomplishment in turn allows youth to develop higher aspirations and secure a better chance of attaining personal goals. Youth who have dropped out of school are particularly at risk for ATOD use, and excessive unexcused school absence in an important risk factor in ATOD use.

Increasing parental involvement in school and school functions contributes to prevention of ATOD problems by involving parents in a setting that includes their children and their neighborhood. Such involvement increases the sense of community and cohesion in the neighborhood and adds support for school activities. Parents who are involved in the school are more likely to know what is going on in their child's life and may be instrumental in encouraging achievement of school goals.

There is an almost infinite array of activities that might increase student and parent involvement in the school. These include programs designed to discourage school dropouts, increased opportunities for club participation and special activities, and programs designed to bring parents to the school or to engage them in joint activity with their children. Additionally, activities designed to enhance teacher functioning and responsiveness to students can result in decreased student dropouts and increased student satisfaction with school.

These programs would be assessed in terms of the degree to which they increase involvement (e.g., student attendance and participation rates, parent attendance at special activities) and reduce absenteeism and dropping out. A second outcome might focus on satisfaction with school, enhanced educational aspirations, and improvements in school climate.

Alternative Activities: Increase involvement in healthy/legal alternatives

Youth may become involved with alcohol and other drugs because, as they might say, "there's nothing else to do." Creating ATOD-free alternatives such as teen centers or ATOD-free dances and parties can provide "something to do" and can offer a more desirable alternative recreational choice for youth. In each of these strategies it is important to consider the incentives to youth for participation in these activities. Involving parents and other community adults can also con- tribute to the development of a sense of community. These efforts might be assessed in terms of how many activities were initiated and the number of youth participating.

Problem Identification and Referral & Information Dissemination: Increase support services for students, teachers, and parents

Alcohol and other drug use may be curtailed by developing support services and support networks for students, teachers, and parents. With additional support, such as peer counseling and student assistance programs, youth may receive the help they need to resist using alcohol and other drugs and to cope with problems and pressures in other , more useful ways. Parent support groups may help parents become more aware of the problems facing their community youth and give parents an opportunity to share ideas and solutions. Additional support services for teachers (such as team teaching and team planning) may allow teachers more time with students and contribute new ideas to the instructional program, which ought to make school a more enjoyable place for both teachers and students, thus contributing to the reduction in school dropouts.

Another kind of support service could be the provision of a directory of services for teachers and parents so that they might seek assistance before a problem becomes very serious. Each could make appropriate referrals for youth showing the signs of ATOD use.

The immediate outcomes of these activities would be increased sense of support and involvement, perhaps greater confidence in coping with problems, and increased use of support services.

Environmental: Deterrence through regulatory and legal action

The strategies described thus far focus on changing youth attitudes, developing youth skills, generating more interesting alternatives, and providing for the social and personal needs of youth at school and at home This category of prevention focuses on making it more difficult to get access to illicit drugs and alcohol by better enforcement of existing laws (e.g., enforcement of the minimum drinking age and strategies to reduce fake ID use), increased supervision and surveillance of youth, and better security around schools and other youth gathering places to prevent drugs from entering those places.

These efforts might be assessed in terms of the number of hours of security or surveillance provided. One initial effect of such activity might be an increase in the number of individuals found in violation of an alcohol or other drug ordinance.

More stringent penalties for ATOD violations may serve some deterrent function in the community. Public information about and strict enforcement of existing penalties and movement toward more stringent penalties would be strategies to prevent drug use via deterrence. These efforts might be assessed by examining cases of drug violations and the penalties imposed.

Other control policies can be explored to deter access to alcohol by youth. For example, increasing the price of alcohol; regulating where and at what times alcohol can be sold; educating sellers and servers to refuse to sell to underage youth; making it illegal to drink in parks, plazas, and school grounds; and prohibiting alcohol sales in arenas or stadiums where the majority of those present would be underage.

The measures described in the preceding section help reduce risks across populations and complement the strategies that focus on changing the behavior of smaller segments of society (e.g., addicted individuals).