Reducing alcohol problems through community action research projects: contexts, strategies, implications, and challenges

Community-based action research projects may include a number of challenges. The secular context may impede a project; for example, reducing aggregate rates of drinking-related problems may involve curtailing very popular high-risk drinking occasions. These projects may also embrace important but unrealistic goals, require matching competing goals emerging from multifoci project teams, or involve convoluted funding arrangements. Attention to team development, priority setting, and project design and evaluation issues is essential. Many projects downplay conceptual issues, such as understanding the nature of communities, organizations, systems, their operation, and social change and prevention models. Focus populations, community members and leaders, change agents team members, funding agencies, and policymakers can benefit from these projects.