Implementation Issues in Drug Abuse Prevention Research

Abstract

Methodological issues evaluating quality of implementation of drug use prevention programs are reviewed: definition (adherence, exposure, reinvention), measurement (self-report, other's report, behavioral observation), and parameters of influence (person, situation, environment). When implementation is defined as the interaction of person, situation, and environment, the “true” drug use prevention program effect is established as the average of effect generated from experimental assignment and program implementation. Differences between researcher and programmer standards of implementation quality are interpreted in terms of an efficacy/effectiveness continuum.

Key Words:

• Drug use
• Prevention
• Policy
• Implementation
• Efficacy