Forging the Link: Promoting Drug Abuse Prevention Services Research

DoubleTree Hotel
Rockville, Maryland
April 28, 1998

Elizabeth Robertson, Ph.D.
Chief, Prevention Research Branch
Division of Epidemiology and Services Research

Summary

Meeting Goals

• Develop the prevention portion of the agenda to be presented at the NIDA meeting, Forging the Link: Health Services Research on Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment, in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Association for Health Services Research in June 1998

• Formulate a more comprehensive agenda for NIDA’s health services research in the area of prevention

• Establish a core group to examine prevention and health services research with the ultimate goal of developing a report

Meeting Process

Zili Sloboda, Sc.D., Director, Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research, and Dr. Robertson welcomed the participants and presented an overview of NIDA’s goals and the workgroup’s objectives. Meeting participants included representatives of government and private agencies involved in prevention research, funding, services, and community partnerships. Jeffrey Merrill chaired the meeting, inviting representatives of each agency to present their prevention programs. Breakout groups discussed specific topics, followed by a general discussion of consensus issues.

Content

Prevention Overview

• Dissemination of efficacious programs and principles
  • What programmatic components account for effects
  • What intervention features account for effects
• Programmatic translation to community level
  • Readiness for service
  • Matching prevention services to prevention needs
  • Adaptation of existing services delivery systems (e.g., schools, community services)
• Cost-benefit/cost-effectiveness
• Financing
• Methodology

Prevention Program Descriptions

• Safe and Drug-Free Schools
  U. S. Department of Education
• Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service
  U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Office of Managed Care, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
  U.S. Department of Justice
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
• National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors
• Social Development Research Group, University of Washington
• Heller School, Brandeis University
• Research Triangle Institute
• City University of New York
• Cornell University Medical College
• Treatment Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania

Areas of Opportunity in Prevention

• Definitions of prevention issues
• Descriptions of populations and payment types
• Types of programs (e.g., community-based, school-based)
• Program issues
• Evaluation issues

Focus Group Topics

• Organization, infrastructure, and financing
• Methods and effectiveness
• Dissemination and implementation

Products and Follow-Up

• The NIDA meeting, Forging the Link: Health Services Research on Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment, will be held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Association for Health Services Research in June 1998. Representatives from the prevention meeting will present at each of the two panels representing:
  • State of the science
  • Future research directions
    
• A report outlining NIDA’s research goals for health services research in the area of prevention will be developed.