Evaluation in drug prevention

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Evaluations in addiction and drug prevention have the task of checking the effectiveness of an intervention measure, a prevention concept or project using empirical research . On the one hand, the end results of a measure can be checked, but the course of a project can also be followed in an evaluation study and influenced if necessary. Measures in addiction prevention aim to maintain or improve the state of health of the population, individual population groups or individuals. Prevention tries to address different levels, such as knowledge about addictive substances and attitudes towards them. Preventive measures in addiction prevention are designed for the long term and are therefore aimed at long-term changes in experience and behavior when dealing with addictive substances. A distinction is made between primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, whereby the term drug and addiction prevention is largely equated with the term primary prevention. These are measures that start well before a potential malfunction.

Background and development

Modern primary prevention began in the Federal Republic of Germany for the first time in the 1960s, accompanied by the phenomenon of the increase in the abuse of psychoactive substances. First of all, measures for the treatment and therapy of drug addiction were carried out, as well as prophylaxis through information, education and deterrence.

The prevention programs were further developed in the 1970s and 1980s. So-called “second generation programs” no longer work only on the information and deterrent level, but on many different levels. This resulted in a variety of prevention projects and measures, which were brought into being by the Federal Center for Health Education , the German Main Office for Addiction Issues and the police , among others . This also resulted in a wide range of methods and approaches in the field of drug and addiction prevention, such as the use of street workers , prevention projects in schools and media campaigns. In order to examine and ensure the effectiveness of these measures, they were evaluated. As a result of this variety of interventions and approaches in prevention, there are consequently also great differences in the implementation and documentation or publication of the evaluations, although there is a uniform catalog of guidelines for evaluations.

The evaluation

Initiators

The principal or initiators of evaluations are primarily federal ministries and ministries at the state level. In the concrete evaluation of z. B. Projects or campaigns in drug prevention are, for example, the German Central Office for Addiction Issues (DHS), the Federal Center for Health Education, the Federal Ministry of Health or institutes for therapy or social welfare . These commission specialists z. B. from universities and other institutes, as well as individual evaluators who have no connection to the project to be evaluated and only evaluate the collected publications and data surveys. This evaluation is based on the general evaluation standards and guidelines.

aims

The main objective of an evaluation in the field of drug prevention is to check the effectiveness of prevention work, i.e. projects, campaigns, seminars, addiction support, etc. The main thing is to document the extent to which this work is successful, e.g. B. Contribute to education and reduce drug use. Because only through successful preventive measures can the elementary goals of preventing any non-medical use of psychoactive substances, inducing consumption renouncement and reaching a higher starting age, be pursued. Furthermore, the evaluation serves to point out possible weaknesses to those carrying out the preventive measures and thus offers them the opportunity to decimate them and to further optimize existing strengths.

Methods

There are different methods of conducting evaluations to get the information you want. The methodical questionnaire is primarily used for analyzes in which a large number of people are to be asked for a lot of information anonymously . However, this depends on the situation, because especially in evaluations for school-based drug prevention, leadership tests are primarily carried out to check the success of learning or knowledge. In contrast to this, standardized interviews are ideal for personal questioning of individuals. If, under certain circumstances, the respondents of the target group are not aware of the relevant information or if it can be assumed that incorrect information is being given, the method of observation is used.

Problems

On the one hand, it must be taken into account that an exact assessment is only possible to a limited extent using questionnaires. On the other hand, it must be admitted that a wide variety of drugs and intoxicants are affected by the concept of drug prevention. For each of these, specific preventive measures are developed, which therefore result in a wide variety of evaluations. For this reason, no uniformly standardized form of evaluation in the field of drug prevention has yet to be found.

literature

  • Markus Hess and Volker Reinhardt: Drug prevention on the Internet: taking into account the educational and school conditions of drug prevention . BoD 2002.
  • James R. Sanders (Ed.): Handbook of Evaluation Standards: The Standards of the "Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation" , 2006.
  • Joachim Schille et al .: Practical Guide Drugs and Drug Prevention: Fields of Action - Concepts of Action - Steps in Practice . Juventa, 2002.