STAGE 5. Defining the action plan

What steps should be completed?

Step 1: Specify intervention actions

MULTICOMPONENT COMMUNITY INTERVENTIONS*

Community drug coalitions (sometimes known as drug addiction community programmes) mobilise and combine the efforts of the different actors or sectors in a community (or a large number of them) to address the problems associated with drug use in the area and among the population in that particular community. These coalitions are sometimes generated spontaneously, but they are usually the result of a planned action that includes technical and financial resources to help the various sectors concerned to gradually incorporate and implement evidence-based policies and interventions to limit drug-related problems in this community.

Community-type (or community-based) interventions are usually of the multicomponent type (i.e., they can combine legislative measures and educational measures) and develop in different environments with the participation of different community actors or agents (e.g., schools, families, social media, leisure facilities, police, etc.).

The evidence available on the effectiveness of this type of intervention comes from various studies carried out mainly in the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia and, according to their results, they may be appropriate to prevent the use of legal and illegal drugs. This type of intervention, involving various actors in the development of coordinated actions encompassing schools, families and the community in general (social media, general population, legislative measures, etc.) appears to be more effective at preventing, delaying or reducing the use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and other drugs, than programmes that affect only one of these areas, such as schools or community.^1,2

Although most of the objectives and actions in preventive community interventions are usually directed towards children and adolescents (although not exclusively), some of their effects can be positive for the whole population or for sectors of the population that are at other stages in life. 

The characteristics below are associated with these interventions functioning well:

GOOD FUNCTIONING

They support the application of alcohol and tobacco policies. They are developed in various fields (family, school, work, leisure, legal, etc.). They train the people involved and provide the community with sufficient resources. They also involve universities to support the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of evidence-based programmes. Their initiatives remain active for an extended period of time (at least in the mid-term).

 

* Based on International Standards on Drug Use Prevention (UNODC): 

 

References:

1 Jones L, Sumnall H, Witty K et al. (2006). A review of community-based interventions to reduce substance misuse among vulnerable and disadvantaged young people. National Collaborating Centre for Drug Prevention, Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University.

2 Sowden AJ & Stead LF (2003). Community interventions for preventing smoking in young people. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2003, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD001291. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001291