Jane Ungemack, DrPHUniversity of Connecticut Health Center

Governor’s Prevention Initiative for Youth Evaluation Team

Needs Assessment Training Session

July 16, 1999

Overview of a Substance Abuse Prevention Needs Assessment

Presentation Overview

• Needs Assessment Overview

• Defining the Community

• Prevalence of Substance Use

• Target Populations

What is a Needs Assessment?

• Planning component

• What is the problem?– Level and type of substance use– Level of risk and protective factors

• What are the existing resources?

• Assess the gap between need and resources

Why Conduct a Needs Assessment?

• Sound planning leads to effective programming• Provides the rationale for selecting a strategy• Increases communication among key stakeholders• Improves coordination of services• Supports rational allocation of resources • Promotes evaluation of program effectiveness• Increase understanding of the substance problem

Who should be involved?

• Prevention providers• School personnel• Community leaders• Parents • Youth• Police chiefs and

officers• Religious leaders• Treatment providers

• Social service providers

• Health care providers• Business and labor

leaders• Community coalition

members• Media representatives• Concerned citizens

Steps in Conducting a Needs Assessment

1. Define the community

2. Assess the level of substance use

3. Identify population(s) at risk

4. Identify risk/protective factors

5. Identify community resources

6. Assess community readiness

Data Sources

• Survey data

• Public records/archival data

• Agency reports

• Key informants

• Observations

Define the Community

• Geographical – City or town– Neighborhood– Region– State

• Community of interest– Cultural– Special needs population

Describe the Community

• Demographic characteristics– population size– community type (urban/suburban/rural; ERG)– population breakdown by age, race or ethnicity– median income of families– other

Adolescent Substance Use

• Types of substances:– Alcohol– Tobacco– Marijuana – Inhalants– Other illicit drugs– Over-the-counter medications

Indicators of Substance Use

• Survey Prevalence Data – Lifetime, annual, and current use– Trends in use

• Social Indicator Data– Drug or alcohol-related arrests– Substance-related mortality – Substance-related morbidity– Substance abuse treatment admission rates

Recent substance use:A comparison of 1995 and 1997 rates

among 7th-8th grade students statewide

22.4 21.9

34.9

26

11.110.5

6.28.6

0

510

15

20

2530

35

4045

50

Per

cent

who

use

Cigarettes Alcohol Marijuana Inhalants

19951997

Recent substance use:A comparison of 1995 and 1997 rates

among 9th-12th grade students statewide

29.833.6

51 51

26.9 29.9

4.16.7

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Per

cent

who

use

Cigarettes Alcohol Marijuana Inhalants

19951997

Recent Substance Use Among 7th-8th Grade Students in Three Communities

6.6

24.525.3 24.7

24.225.2

8.1

11.812.6

3.4

6.5 5.4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Cigarettes Alcohol Marijuana Other IllicitDrugs

SuburbanUrbanRural

Social Indicators by Town

Social Indicator Suburban Urban Rural

Population 18,754 71, 868 14,557

Per capital income $82,501 $22,337 $19,228

Violent crimes/1000 .05 8.85 1.44

Teenage births/1000 .00 44.38 27.45

High school dropout rate 0.1 9.5 8.7

D.U.I. Arrests/1000 4.89 3.30 6.23

Drug-related Arrests/1000 1.26 14.13 1.82

Binge drinking* in prior two weeks:Connecticut Valley Survey of Student Needs, 1998

0

10

20

30

40

50

Per

cent

7th 9th 11th

Grade

* - Five or more drinks on a single occasion

Institute of Medicine Classification of Preventive Interventions

• Universal: General population

• Selective: Targeted high risk population

• Indicated: Targeted high risk individuals

Subgroup Differences in Substance Use

• Age

• Gender

• Racial/ethnic background

• Type of community

• Geographic location

High Risk Populations

• Children involved with Juvenile Justice System

• Dropouts/chronic truants

• Alternative school students

• Children of substance-abusing parents

• DCF-placed youth

• Youth who exhibit other problem behaviors

Lifetime use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and inhalants by grade

0102030405060708090

5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th

Grade

Per

cent

AlcoholCigarettesMarijuanaInhalants

Percent of 9th-12th grade students statewide who report substance use during the past 30 days by gender

31.7

50.4

32.9

8.6

35.3

48.9

27.1

4.7

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Per

cent

who

use

Male Female

Gender

CigarettesAlcoholMarijuanaOther Illicit Drug

Recent cigarette, alcohol, marijuana and other illicit drug* use by race/ethnicity

Grades 7-8

20.718.9

30.8

24.2 22.9

29.9

9.512.7 14

4.1 5.78

0

10

20

30

40

50

Per

cent

who

use

Cigarettes Alcohol Marijuana Other Illicit

White Black Hispanic

* Illicit drugs include cocaine, crack, hallucinogens, heroin, and PCP

Marijuana Use: 30-Day Prevalence Ratesby Community Type and Grade, 1995

0

10

20

30

40

50

7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th

Per

cent

of S

tude

nts

SuburbanUrban

Substance Abuse Treatment Need:School-Based and School with Youth At-Risk Adjustmentby Educational Reference Group, 9th - 12th Grade, 1995

7.27.7

5.1

6.6 6.4

8.6

5.7

8.7

3.6

10.1

0

5

10

15

Pe

rce

nt

Ne

ed

ing

Se

rvic

es

ERGs A-B ERGs C-E ERGs F-G ERG H ERG I

School-based (Unadjusted)Youth At-Risk Adjusted

High SES SuburbanCommunities

Low SES UrbanCommunities

Substance Abuse Treatment Need:1995 Connecticut Youth Samples

4.0

24.3

17.619.8

35.2

52.0

0

15

30

45

60

75

SchoolSample

AlternativeStudents

Dropouts /Truants

DCF Placed JuvenileArrestees

IncarceratedYouth