Volume 24, Issue 6: December, 1997

Abstract

EVALUATING COMMUNITY COALITIONS FOR PREVENTION OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE: THE CASE OF PROJECT FREEDOM

Stephen B. Fawcett, Ph.D.
Rhonda K. Lewis, Ph.D.
Adrienne Paine-Andrews, Ph.D.
Vincent T. Francisco, Ph.D.
Kimber P. Richer, M.A., M.P.H.
Ella L. Williams, M.Ed.
Barbara Copple, B.S., M.R.C.P.

Correspondence should be addressed to: Stephen B. Fawcett, Ph.D., Work Group on Health Promotion & Community Development, 4082 Dole Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045; e-mail: sfawcett@falcon.cc.ukans.edu.

In the United States alone, there are over two thousand community coalitions to address local concerns about abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. This report describes an evaluation system used to examine the process, outcome, and impact of coalitions for the prevention of substance abuse. The evaluation addresses five key questions: a) Was the community mobilized to address substance abuse (Process)?, b) What changes in the community resulted from the coalition (Outcome)?, c) Is there a change in reported use of alcohol and other substances by youth (Outcome)?, d) Does the coalition have a community-level impact on substance abuse (Impact)?, and e) Is community-level impact related to changes facilitated by the coalition (Impact)? To address these and other questions, the evaluation system collects 15 distinct measures using eight core measurement instruments. This evaluation system is illustrated with a multi-year study of Project Freedom, a substance abuse coalition in a large midwestern city.