Key Factor 1: Problem Identification

It is essential to determine not only what specific substance use problem exists in the community, but also whether there is sufficient evidence that a substance use problem exists in the community. This information is needed by program funders and to guide the choice of the most appropriate type of research-based prevention program. Much attention to this issue was given in earlier parts of this step of this tutorial.

As described earlier, in addition to identifying the type of drug problem, it is important to determine the extent of the problem, who has the problem, where in the community the problem exists, and the risk and protective factors that can be changed by the prevention effort. Identifying the factors that place people at greater risk or reduce their susceptibility to substance abuse within their community context determines the types of prevention efforts that would best address the identified need.

As described earlier, numerous methods can be used to obtain social indicators, including archival data, existing surveys, and new surveys with key leaders, youth, parents, business leaders, teachers, and others in the community.