Comprehensive Quality Programming and Accountability: Eight Essential Strategies for Implementing Successful Prevention Programs

This article presents strategies that can be used to improve the state of the practice of prevention programs. Although these strategies have broad application to all forms of prevention and intervention programs, this article focuses on the application of such strategies to youth and family prevention programs. If positive changes in the lives of the youth and families in our communities are to be realized, it is imperative that effective and quality prevention programs reach these populations. We present a series of eight specific strategies, collectively referred to as Comprehensive Quality Programming (CQP), and an overview of an effective method for using such strategies to continuously improve programs. The use of CQP will be illustrated with three examples, including an evaluation of a school-based mentoring program.     

Taking Stock and Putting Stock in Primary Prevention: Characteristics of Effective Programs

We argue it is important regularly to take stock of what makes primary prevention and promotion programs in mental health effective and to use this information to guide future program design, implementation, and evaluation. Based upon a review of diverse program evaluations, including meta-analyses and best practices approaches, we identify 10 distinct (but interdependent) characteristics of effective primary prevention and promotion programs that should frame future work. We also note the importance of community-based collaboration for achieving these 10 features.     

Simplifying the Delivery of a Prevention Program with Web-Based Enhancements

The ease with which prevention programs can be delivered may impact whether or not they are implemented as designed. This paper presents a website with enhancements designed to make delivery of the All Stars substance use prevention program easier. Administrative tasks, such as completing paperwork associated with program delivery were automated using web technology. A pilot study of the web site was conducted with program instructors. There was a significant improvement in teachers’ perceived ease of program delivery. Modest correlation coefficients were found for the relationship between ease of delivery of specific program activities and adherence to these activities.     

Assessing Community-Based Injury Prevention Services in U.S. Children's Hospitals

ObjectiveNot-for-profit hospitals are required to meet federal reporting requirements detailing their community benefit activities, which support their tax-exempt status. Children''s hospitals have long provided community injury prevention (IP) programming and thus can inform public health outreach work in other areas. This work describes IP programming as a community service offered by children''s hospitals in the U.S.MethodsThe IP specialist at 232 US-based member institutions of the Children''s Hospital Association were invited to complete an assessment of their hospital''s IP outreach programming.Results47.7 percent of hospitals request financial data from IP programming for tax reporting purposes. Almost all offer injury prevention (IP) services; the majority are in the community (60.3%) and 34.5% are hospital-based. Most IP units are independent (60.3%) and 71.8% are responsible for their own budgets.ConclusionsBy integrating dissemination and implementation sciences and community health needs assessments, these findings can help advance community services provided by hospitals to impact public health.     

Implementing a Multicomponent School-Based Obesity Prevention Intervention: A Qualitative Study

ObjectiveTo explore barriers and facilitators to implementing and sustaining Healthy Choices, a 3-year multicomponent obesity prevention intervention implemented in middle schools in Massachusetts.MethodsUsing purposive sampling, 56 in-depth interviews were conducted with middle school employees representing different positions (administrators, teachers, food service personnel, and employees serving as intervention coordinators). Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Emergent themes were identified using thematic analyses.ResultsState-mandated testing, budget limitations, and time constraints were viewed as implementation barriers, whereas staff buy-in, external support, and technical assistance were seen as facilitating implementation. Respondents thought that intervention sustainability depended on external funding and expert assistance.Conclusions and ImplicationsResults confirm the importance of gaining faculty and staff support. Schools implementing large-scale interventions should consider developing sustainable partnerships with organizations that can provide resources and ongoing training. Sustainability of complex interventions may depend on state-level strategies that provide resources for implementation and technical assistance.     

Characteristics of Effective Substance Abuse Prevention Programs for High-Risk Youth

The last two decades have witnessed a rapid development of substance abuse prevention programs. Most efforts to evaluate these programs have been limited to single program studies, and nearly all studies involving multiple drug prevention programs have involved school-based programs for general youth populations. In 1995, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), funded the CSAP National Cross-site Evaluation of High Risk Youth Programs, a five-year, multi-site evaluation study involving 46 programs and over 10,500 youth at high risk for substance use (CSAP, 2002(a)). This article reports findings from this evaluation, focusing on program characteristics that help explain reductions in 30-day substance use among program participants. Programs found to be most effective in reducing substance use were those that offered strong behavioral life skills development content, emphasized team-building and interpersonal delivery methods, emphasized introspective learning approaches focusing on self-reflection, were based upon a clearly articulated and coherent program theory, and provided intense contact with youth. Programs utilizing these positive program components produced consistent and lasting reductions in substance use. These findings provide a solid basis for the adoption of positive program characteristics in the development of future prevention programming for high-risk youth.     

Workplace Drug Abuse Prevention Initiatives: A Review

Likely key elements of effective prevention strategies emerging from the literature (and from discussions with experts) are summarized. These include: (1) program content based on proven prevention theory and research; (2) comprehensive approaches that address multiple risk and protective factors, and generalize across settings; (3) material that is relevant during important transitions in an employee's life and career (4) sensitivity to the culture of the workplace and community; (5) sufficient dosage and follow-up; (6) use of interactive teaching techniques; (7) training for prevention program providers; and (8) evaluation to know that the intervention had the desired effect on behavior. Evaluation of workplace substance abuse prevention has been limited; the need for future research is discussed. The paper concludes with a discussion of how to increase interest in substance abuse prevention by employers.     

The Influence of Organizational Culture on School‐Based Obesity Prevention Interventions: A Systematic Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND

Although the influence of organizational culture has been examined on a variety of student outcomes, few studies consider the influence that culture may have on school‐based obesity prevention interventions. We present a systematic review of the literature to examine how elements of organizational culture may affect the adoption, implementation, and sustainability of school‐based obesity prevention interventions.

METHODS

Fourteen studies examining the impact of organizational‐level characteristics on school‐based obesity prevention interventions were identified through the online databases EBSCO (CINAHL, ERIC, Agricola), Web of Science, Medline (PubMed), and Scopus.

RESULTS

Five themes were identified as elements of organizational culture that influence the adoption, implementation, and sustainability of school‐based obesity prevention interventions: organizational response to limited resources, value placed on staff training and professional development, internal support, organizational values, and school climate.

CONCLUSIONS

Organizational culture can greatly influence the success of school‐based obesity interventions. The collection of data related to organizational‐level factors may be used to identify strategies for creating and sustaining a supportive environment for obesity prevention interventions in the school setting.