Project

Six State Consortium for Prevention Needs Assessment

Project Description

SDRG collaborated with the state offices of alcohol and drug abuse services of Kansas, Maine, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington to develop a reliable and valid set of indicators of risk and protective factors for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse. The project also created a system for periodically monitoring and reporting these indicators using an efficient combination of archival and survey data sources at state, county, and community levels. The Six State project built upon the ongoing efforts of the collaborating states to develop and implement valid and reliable needs assessment systems to guide prevention policy and planning. In addition, the project produced data for validation at the state, sub-state, and cross-state level. A standardized technology for collecting and reporting risk and protective factor data applicable to states, sub-state regions, and communities throughout the country was created. The tools and technologies developed by the project will aid in state planning and evaluation efforts. By establishing risk profiles of specific geographic areas and population subgroups, prevention planners can use this information to implement more effective prevention programs to fit each community’s unique profile of risk and protection and to evaluate the programs they fund.