Logic Model for Youth Substance Abuse

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Logic Model for Youth Substance Abuse Use
Prevention Programs in OAS Member States
September 14, 2005 Ottawa, Ontario Wanda
Jamieson Tullio Caputo
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Logic Model Overview

• What is a logic model?
• Its a picture of how a program works.
• It can take many forms.
• It is useful to validate the theory of change of
  a program.
• Why develop a logic model?
• It can help OAS Member States to strategically
  focus their prevention efforts learn more about
  how their programs work make continuous
  improvements.
• Its value is in the process of creating,
  validating, and then modifying the model.W.K.
  Kellogg Foundation (1998) http//www.wkkf.org.

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Key Results of Literature Review

• What we did
• Review of literature published since 2002, to
  focus on identifying objectives, activities,
  expected outcomes, challenges, performance
  indicators and best practices in measuring youth
  substance abuse prevention.
• Narrowed search to 30 key articles, including 24
  meta-analyses.
• What we learned
• There is greater demand for evidence-based
  approaches, yet few programs are designed
  evaluated according to basic evaluation/scientific
  standards
• Evaluation challenges include limited evaluation
  research/technical capacity, program fidelity
  adaptation, site recruitment, diversity of youth
  population, participant retention, lack of tested
  outcome measures.
• It is possible to conceptualize a model of
  prevention (universal, selective indicated
  prevention) and to identify anticipated outcomes.

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Ultimate Outcomes

• The Prevention of Youth Substance Use and Abuse
  contributes to the following Ultimate Outcomes
• Reduction in demand for illicit drugs and harmful
  substance by youth
• Reduction in the health, social and economic
  costs associated with substance use/abuse among
  youth.
• Assumptions
• Programs that focus on a combination of
  information, education and cognitive and
  behavioural skills training, and which use
  interactive delivery methods are likely to be
  more effective.
• Effective prevention is a work in progress.
  Further research is required to fully develop
  theories of youth substance use/abuse and
  rigorous evaluation is needed to determine what
  type or combination of prevention works best and
  for whom.

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Universal Prevention

• Activities include
• Educating raising awareness of use and abuse
  and its consequences promoting healthy lifestyle
  choices behaviours, building social competence
• Outputs
• Many are school or classroom based programs or
  promotional campaigns and may be linked to other
  healthy lifestyle initiatives
• Reach
• General youth population
• Immediate Outcomes
• Increase in knowledge awareness of use/abuse
  consequences
• Enhanced capacity to make informed, healthy
  decisions
• Longer-term Outcomes (both intermediate and
  ultimate)
• Provides a base contribution to intermediate and
  longer-term outcomes

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Selective Prevention

• Activities include
• Some activities similar to universal prevention.
• Greater emphasis on creating opportunities for
  healthy lifestyle choices motivating positive
  change teaching cognitive/behavioural skills
  e.g. refusal/resistance.
• Outputs include
• School and community-based programs in settings
  populated by youth at risk
• Links with related services to engage and reach
  out to youth strengthen family support and
  involve youth in alternative activities (leisure)
• Reach
• Youth at risk population
• Immediate Outcomes
• Increase in knowledge awareness of use/abuse
  consequences
• Enhanced capacity to make informed, healthy
  decisions
• Increased knowledge of healthy alternatives
• Prevented/delayed onset of regular use
• Longer-term Outcomes (both intermediate and
  ultimate)
• Provides a base of knowledge, skills and
  potentially behavioural change which will
  contribute to intermediate and longer-term
  outcomes

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Indicated Prevention

• Activities include
• Some activities similar to universal prevention
  indicated prevention.
• Greater intensity and targeting of activities to
  create opportunities for healthy lifestyle
  choices behaviours motivate positive change
  teach cognitive/behavioural skills to influence
  thinking and behaviour
• Outputs include
• School and community-based programs
• Motivational interventions (e.g. with youth who
  have been apprehended using substances)
• Links with related services to engage and reach
  out to youth
• Family support, including skills training/therapy
  
• Alternative activities (leisure)
• Reach
• Youth at risk of regular/heavy use of dependency
• Immediate Outcomes
• Increase in knowledge awareness of use/abuse
  consequences
• Enhanced capacity to make informed, healthy
  decisions
• Increased knowledge of healthy alternatives
• Prevented/delayed onset of regular use
• Longer-term Outcomes (both intermediate and
  ultimate)
• Provides a base of knowledge, skills and
  potentially behavioural change which will
  contribute to intermediate and longer-term
  outcomes

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Research Evaluation

• Activities include
• Undertaking research studies
• Developing theories and concepts about substance
  use/abuse prevention
• Monitoring program performance
• Undertaking evaluations
• Undertaking program reviews, meta-analyses to
  determine what works.
• Outputs include
• Research documents (e.g. on substance use/abuse
  patterns)
• Theories and conceptual frameworks about youth
  substance use/abuse and its prevention
• Evaluation documents (e.g. logic models,
  frameworks, plans, studies)
• Promising/best practices
• Recommendations for ministerial and legislative
  bodies
• Reach
• Program Developers, Practitioners and Decision
  Makers
• Immediate Outcomes
• Increased knowledge base on effective prevention
• Dissemination and update of promising and best
  practices
• Longer-term Outcomes (both intermediate and
  ultimate)

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Questions?