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A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan evaluated the efforts of the Allies Against Asthma Program, demonstrating that community coalitions with highly involved partnerships are the most successful in producing policy and systems change. The results offer useful implications for anti-drug coalitions focusing on policy and systems changes to achieve community-level outcomes.
For coalitions, meetings provide the venue for strategic planning, collaboration, and overall preparation. Key stakeholders need to attend these meetings and leave feeling their time was well spent. Dissatisfaction could result in losing the participation of partners necessary to carry out a coalition’s strategic plan. The current research on organizational meetings is in some ways applicable to the meeting structure of coalitions. Given this, those in charge of calling and organizing coalition meetings should learn the key design issues that promote meeting effectiveness.
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.
Fatalities from operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol remain a significant problem and community concern in the United States. A study published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research provides further support that enacting and enforcing state minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) laws and impaired-driving policies reduces alcohol-related fatal crashes among young drivers. The findings in this research highlight the need for all states to implement such laws. The research underscores the continued need for community coalitions to focus efforts on advocating and enforcing state MLDA laws, to enact local related policy and to strengthen existing state laws.
Why do some coalitions leave college campuses out of their community plans? Campuses and communities often are viewed as separate structures, consisting of their own unique issues and agendas. But, while some issues may be dealt with separately most campus and community problems are heavily intertwined. Underage drinking, for example, affects both the college campus and surrounding community. High concentrations of young people on a college campus may affect high school-aged youths’ access to alcohol and the youths’ perceptions of drinking). A growing body of research supports the collaborative approach used in campus-community partnerships.
New research published in the Journal of Immigrant Minority Health supports the theory that acculturation discrepancies exist and may impact Hispanic adolescents’ substance use behaviors. Acculturation refers to a process where individuals from a particular culture adopt the norms, values, attitudes and behaviors of individuals from another culture. Typically acculturation occurs when a person’s culture of origin gradually changes to become more similar to that of the host society or dominant culture, but the process can go both ways.
Parents have the greatest opportunity to affect a young person's decision to use marijuana during early adolescence. After age 15, youth tend to base the decision more on peer influence. This research, published in Substance Use & Misuse indicates that parents must reach young people before age 13 to increase the likelihood that the youth will choose against initiating marijuana use. It is the first study to demonstrate and identify the different risk and protective factors associated with marijuana initiation change throughout an adolescent's development.
Community-based coalitions rely heavily on the participation of their diverse members. Given this, researchers have identified factors that influence initial decision to participate in coalition activities such as group identification, a drive to lead and organize, direct or indirect monetary benefits, and the desire to improve community well-being. Knowledge is important in developing a member base, what becomes more critical is the level at which those members participate. A study recently published in the American Journal of Community Psychology sought to answer this question, and provide insight on how to increase member participation within coalitions.
Strategic planning—and more importantly, complete implementation of a strategic plan—are key to creating community change, according to a study that tracked two urban neighborhood coalitions in the Kansas City, Mo., area. This study specifically examined whether increases in rates of community change were related to a community strategic planning process.
A new study sheds light into the way that communities may be able to more closely monitor developing use of alcohol and cigarette among youth. The study tracked children’s opinions of smokers and drinkers, and their knowledge of how many of their peers and friends use alcohol and cigarettes, to see if they could predict adolescent use of alcohol and cigarettes.
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
625 Slaters Lane Suite 300 Alexandria, VA 22314
Tel 1-800-54-CADCA Fax 703-706-0565
