Key Factor 2: Recognition of Problem by Community

Implementing a new prevention program requires community support. Support will increase if the community members and prevention specialists alike recognize the problem and participate in the implementation of appropriate prevention strategies to address them. Communities in which there is broad popular awareness of the problem have a greater change of prevention programming success than those in which there is only limited, specialized, or no awareness.

A community can assess the degree of drug problem awareness through many methods. In some cases, information already exists, and the prevention program need only identify and acquire the information. A survey of local newspapers, magazines, or newsletters can provide a rough gauge of public concern. Newspaper archives at the public library can be a valuable resource to assess local media coverage of an issue. Newspaper stories and other media coverage can provide a rouge gauge of community attitudes, such as examining the tone of stories and how a story involving drugs is portrayed. In other cases, individuals in prevention programs can listen to remarks at public meetings, conduct simple community attitude surveys, conduct focus groups with citizens, and conduct surveys of community leaders.