3.3  Increase Problem Recognition

When community recognition of a substance use problem is deficient, the comprehensive needs assessment should be used to increase community awareness and problem recognition. The needs assessment results will describe the nature of the problem and provide recommendations about potential solutions. Efforts to increase awareness, such as media campaigns, can be paired with messages suggesting that community action can reduce the problem. Public awareness campaigns involve several steps from a communications advisory group to implementing a marketing plan. Please see The Resource Library for detailed instructions to conduct each of the following activities.

Of course, your prevention efforts may be a large-scale multicomponent media campaign, or it may be a simpler effort to increase awareness and change attitudes among a narrowly defined target group. The following are critical for large-scale media campaigns, but elements can be used for more modest environmental approaches as well.

Create a communications advisory group. You need media professionals. Establish a voluntary advisory group of local communications, marketing, and advertising professionals. They can increase the involvement of local media in the prevention effort. Ask the group to design and target news releases, paid media efforts, and public service announcements. They should have contacts and can get other volunteer help.

Decide on the message. Substance abuse prevention media specialists recommend that prevention messages should avoid a negative focus but convey messages of hope, alter negative perceptions of persons at risk, present the problem in a positive light, encourage volunteerism, and build community and social support for action.