Assessment

A comprehensive community assessment represents the first and most important step in building a coalition, establishing a description of the needs, resources and history of a community. Gathering empirical and qualitative data allows the coalition to analyze and identify local substance abuse issues using a strong, evidence-based process that drives all of a coalition’s strategies and initiatives.

 

Health Behavior News Service reports that school prevention programs aimed at curbing alcohol misuse in children are somewhat helpful, enough so to deserve consideration for widespread use, according to a large, international systematic review.

Medical News Today reports that college students who plan their drinking activities are less likely to engage in risky spring break behavior, according to a new University of Michigan study.

The NFL Super Bowl is known for its commercials as much as the game itself. Did you know that about 18 percent of the Super Bowl's total viewing audience will be youth under 21, meaning that children and youth will be exposed to the dozens of alcohol-related commercials shown during the Super Bowl? To help shed light on how alcohol advertising impacts youth, the Drug-Free Action Alliance is inviting youth to participate in their Big Bowl Vote 2011, an annual survey open to middle and high school students.

20 youth from Alexandria, Va. spent their summer vacation as youth "mappers," and that doesn't mean they were cartographers, but rather, field researchers who collected data to "map out" potential opportunities to create a healthy environment for youth.

 Current research indicates that controlling or minimizing the amount of alcohol outlets in a specific area may reduce a variety of alcohol-related problems. Unfortunately few studies exist on the possible impact of controlling or reducing the number of tobacco retailers in a given area. Some research suggests that the density and proximity of tobacco retailers may influence tobacco use initiation among youth if they have easy access. The American Journal of Public Health recently published a study contributing to this body of research. A 2009 article, Density of tobacco retailers near schools: Effects on tobacco use among students, examines the relationship between the density and proximity of tobacco retailers near schools and adolescent cigarette smoking.

This document outlines the 15 core competencies that facilitate implementation of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Strategic Prevention Framework and the skills required to support the process.

This Strategizer is intended to clarify the data collection process so coalitions can complete the needs and assets assessment in a timely manner.

Esta guía ha sido diseñada para proporcionar a las coaliciones anti-drogas lineamientos claros para definir sus comunidades, analizar y evaluar las verdaderas necesidades dentro de sus comunidades. La información le permitirá a su coalición minimizar cualquier duplicación de esfuerzos, comprender los recursos existentes e implementar prácticas y políticas para reducir el consumo de sustancias psicoactivas dentro de su comunidad.