The federal Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) recently released the results of a 1994-96 study that compared alcohol and other drug use in 24 communities that had anti-drug partnership programs to 24 similar communities without such partnerships. The study found that male residents served by CSAP-funded Community Anti-Drug Partnerships had slightly lower rates of alcohol and illicit drug use than their counterparts in non-partnership communities.

Use rates were measured in 1994 and 1996 through a survey of 83,473 adults plus 8th- and 10th-grade students; the difference between the male populations of the comparison communities was detected during the 1996 survey. "We now have proof that community partnerships can work to prevent substance abuse," said Nelba Chavez, Ph.D., administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Still, the differences between the CSAP-funded communities and their counterparts were slight -- averaging about three percent -- and often within the margin of error for the study. Of the 24 partnership communities, eight had reduced alcohol and other drug use rates when compared to similar, non-partnership communities, according to CSAP.

And results for females were not nearly as encouraging: past-month and past-year alcohol and other drug-use rates were unchanged among women and girls between 1994 and 1996, and use of illicit drugs among 8th-grade girls in the partnership communities actually increased during that time-period. Chavez said that the study pointed to "the need to invest in developing gender-specific prevention approaches."

According to a CSAP fact sheet on the study, "One reason for [the] gender difference could be that prevention is implicitly aimed more at males and the male culture. For instance, a common strategy is to support 'alternative activities' as a way of diverting youths from substance abuse. These activities (e.g. camp outings, sports) may benefit males more than females."

The CSAP study looked at community partnerships that had been in existence for a few years, arising from the grant program of the same name that began awarding funds in 1991. In all, CSAP made 251 five-year awards, averaging $350,000 annually, through the Community Partnership Program. CSAP made the last community partnership grants in 1996, but 18 of the 24 programs studied are still in existence.

Defining Effective Partnerships, Identifying Model Programs

Drawing upon the results of the study, CSAP identified a number of characteristics shared by the partnerships found to have been most successful in reducing substance abuse rates. "Generating widespread community involvement and recruiting partnership members strongly related to how effective partnerships reached their drug prevention goals," according to CSAP. "In addition, having a large number of prevention activities wa related to positive drug abuse prevention outcomes."

The most effective programs also were characterized by having:

• a widely shared vision reflecting broad-based community consensus
• a strong core of committed partners at their inception
• an inclusive and broad-based membership
• the ability to avoid or resolve conflicts
• decentralized units to serve local communities and empower local residents
• low staff turnover, and
• extensive activities and support for local prevention policies.

• Type A: middle- or working-class communities with substance abuse problems that are newly rising or reaching unacceptable levels. Prevention groups in these communities tended to succeed by focusing on increasing awareness of the problem, improving program coordination, and changing local policies.
• Type B: typically poor rural communities or low-income urban communities with substance abuse problems that are newly rising or reaching unacceptable levels. Unlike Type A communities, however, these areas tend to lack community resources because residents are below the poverty line or have limited access to public services. Successful prevention efforts in these communities included infrastructure development and changing local policies.
• Type C: typically low-income or minority communities that have experienced high rates of substance abuse over a long period of time, as well as high rates of unemployment. Successful prevention efforts focused on policy issues, infrastructure development, improving relations between residents and service providers, involving residents in prevention activities, and cutting drug supply.
• Type D: communities of Type A,B or C that also have an economy based in significant part on drug production, such as marijuana cultivation or moonshining. Successful prevention strategies include cutting supply and combating mixed messages about illicit drugs.

Model Programs

Partnerships in five communities were identified as models that have achieved measurable results in areas identified as Type A, C and D. These included:

• Ozarks Fighting Back, of Springfield, Mo., which focuses on alcohol abuse, gang participation and drug trafficking in a community with the state's highest poverty rate and a large university population. Outcomes included significant reductions in illicit drug use among 10th-graders.
• Lake County Fighting Back, of Lake County, Ill., which focuses on alcohol and illicit drug use, drunk driving, underage drinking, and increasing drug arrests and seizures in this rural/suburban region. The study found significant reductions in alcohol and illicit drug use among 10th-graders.
• Safe 2000 Community Partnership of El Paso, Texas -- the fifth-poorest city in the U.S. Concerns included cross-border drug trafficking and alcohol sales to minors, availability of cheap liquor and public intoxication problems. Outcomes included reduced use of alcohol and illicit drugs by 10th-graders and an overall reduction of alcohol use by adults.
• Community Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment, Los Angeles, Calif., which serves South Central Los Angeles and focuses on reducing drug abuse, drug-related and juvenile drug arrests, and a high concentration of liquor outlets. Outcomes included reduced alcohol consumption among 8th-graders.
• Tri-County Substance Abuse Prevention Alliance of Knox, Laurel and Whitley Counties, Ky. -- a poor, rural region with a high tolerance of alcohol and tobacco use, and a history of marijuana and moonshine production. Outcomes included reduced use of illicit drugs and alcohol among 8th-graders.

Finally, the study also found that besides residing in a partnership community, factors that correlate to reduced substance abuse include living in a neighborhood with low perceived rates of illicit drug sales. Other, rather self-evident characteristics associated with lower individual drug-use rates include having a disapproving attitude toward drug use and being involved in drug prevention activities.

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