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Community Prevention Trials: A Respectful Partnership
Objective:
To review the theoretical basis for a systems approach to community
prevention of alcohol problems and the policy options that this
approach suggests. Method: A community systems prevention
project used 4 environmental strategies to reduce heavy drinking.
Results: The Community Trial, using an environmental approach
to prevention, achieved a statistically significant reduction in
alcohol-involved traffic crashes in addition to lower sales of alcohol
to young people and greater number of policies against serving alcohol
to intoxicated persons. Conclusion: This trial demonstrated
that a respectful partnership between researchers and community
members is essential. Prevention planners and policy makers must
understand how various aspects of the community influence alcohol
and other drug use, thereby contributing to alcohol and other drug
problems. |