NCJ Number
243884
Date Published
2007
Length
310 pages
Annotation
This guide provides information for local communities to plan, implement, and evaluate a framework for reducing and preventing underage drinking.
Abstract
This guide, developed by the RAND Corporation, provides information for local communities on planning, implementing, and evaluating a framework for reducing and preventing underage drinking. The framework used in the guide is the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), a five-step approach developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that encourages comprehensive assessment, planning, and evaluation. The SPF emphasizes the integration of community needs with evidence-based practices in a way that respects cultural diversity and promotes sustainability. The 11 chapters in the guide provide information on how communities can use the SPF to address issues related to underage drinking. Specifically, the chapters discuss how 1) communities can get organized and begin to better understand their needs regarding underage drinking; 2) communities can conduct an assessment of the underlying needs and conditions that must be addressed to reduce underage drinking; 3) to develop goals and objectives based on the identified needs; 4) to assess the current level of capacity and how to enhance that capacity to reduce underage drinking; 5) to choose the most appropriate evidence-based environmental strategies; 6) to assess the current "fit" within the community context of the strategy chosen and how to enhance that fit; 7) to develop a plan for reducing underage drinking; 8) to conduct a process evaluation of the underage drinking prevention strategy; 9) to conduct an outcome evaluation of the underage drinking prevention strategy; 10) to conduct a continuous quality improvement process; and 11) to sustain successful underage drinking prevention strategies. Figures, tables, appendixes, and references