Building a Comprehensive Approach

Part 2: Using Complementary Strategies

Erica SchmitzMESAP: Maine’s Environmental Substance Abuse Prevention CenterMedical Care Development, Inc.(207) 773-7737MESAP@mcd.org

MESAP

The basic model

Consequences and

Consumption

Strategies/ Programs

Intervening Variables

Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Re-planning

…How do you build a comprehensive approach?

It’s not just picking from a list.

Selecting Best Fit Prevention Interventions

Select Specific Programs,Practices & Policies

Ensure Effectiveness

IdentifyTypes of Strategies

Best FitPrevention

Interventions

Demonstrate Conceptual Fit

Demonstrate Evidence of Effectiveness

Demonstrate Practical Fit

Relevant? Practical? Effective?

From CSAP Guide, Identifying and Selecting Evidence-based Interventions, Jan 2007

Environmental Strategy Components:

• Collaboration

• Communications

• Policy

• Enforcement

• Education

Menu planning

1. Primary strategy?

2. Complementary strategies?

• Activities supported by research to make your primary strategy a success.

• Activities that help increase community support for your primary strategy.

OSA Priority:

Underage Drinking

Primary Intervening Variables:· Alcohol access/availability

· Parental monitoring practices

· Effectiveness of law enforcement

Underage Drinking Logic Model

Consequence& Consumption

Patterns

Intervening Variables

Underage Drinking

Access: RETAIL

Strategies

Communication?

Enforcement?

Policy?

Education?

Collaboration?

• Primary: Compliance checks by law enforcement

• Complementary: – Resources for liquor enforcement (including training,

policy, consistent and ongoing effort) – Strategic use of the media– Police policy to require investigation of underage

drinking incidents to address retail violations.– Build relationships with retailers– Training for clerks, servers, managers– Help retailers to strengthen their own policies– Voluntary secret shopper programs (non-enforcement

compliance checks)

Underage Drinking

Access: RETAIL Strategies

Underage Drinking Logic Model

Consequence& Consumption

Patterns

Intervening Variables

Underage Drinking

Parental Monitoring

Strategies

Communication?

Enforcement?

Policy?

Education?

Collaboration?

• Primary: Social marketing campaign using OSA materials

• Complementary: – Collaboration with local media, schools, parent

organizations, etc. to disseminate materials– Community parent forums about effective

monitoring practices– School policy to require parent notification and

involvement if students are caught breaking the law– Increase enforcement of underage drinking laws,

including parent notification

Underage Drinking

ParentalMonitoring

Strategies

What about curriculum-based parenting programs?

One ME evaluation: • “Even with extensive recruitment efforts, most coalitions

who selected programs targeting parents had little success in getting them to actually attend the sessions. …Most coalitions will not sustain parenting programs because they weighed the effort and associated costs of recruitment and implementation with the numbers of parents served and decided the programs are not a good use of prevention resources” (p.117).

Population-level reachTesting Tool

• Who is the target audience?• How many people in your target audience

will you actually reach?• What “dosage” and “saturation” of the

interventions will they experience?• To what degree will the target audience be

impacted, both in the short-term and long-term?

• What impact will it have on the community as a whole?

From Maine LC Day 1, Feb 21, 2007

Underage Drinking Logic Model

Consequence& Consumption

Patterns

Intervening Variables

Underage Drinking

Effectiveness of Enforcement

Strategies

Communication?

Enforcement?

Policy?

Education?

Collaboration?

• Primary: Increase enforcement actions related to underage drinking, furnishing, and hosting laws

• Complementary: – Community/Police Partnership– Model Policy adoption– Officer Training– Publicize efforts to increase deterrent effect– Media to increase awareness of penalties

related to hosting & furnishing (e.g. Sticker Shock)

Underage Drinking

Effectiveness of Enforcement

Strategies

Resources• Handout: “Underage Drinking: Sample Evidence-

Based* Comprehensive Strategies to Fit OSA’s Priority Intervening Variables” (others coming soon)

• 2004 Article: “A general causal model to guide alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug prevention: Assessing the research evidence” (in Day 1 handouts)

• MESAP training & technical assistance:eschmitz@mcd.org (207) 773-7737