Addressing health disparities in preventable diseases, a community base prevention approach

Using the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) developed by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention/SAMHSA, Project 3-3-3 created and pilot-tested an intervention curriculum, and collected data identifying risk behaviors related to preventing substance abuse, HIV and Hepatitis among three immigrant Asians populations (Chinese, Filipino, and Vietnamese) in three Bay Area counties (Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco). The curriculum was developed after conducting an extensive needs assessment and completing a strategic plan. The needs assessment included a community consultation process involving focus groups from targeted communities, identifying key stakeholders and convening a community advisory committee. The needs assessment also utilized a resource mapping approach for identifying community providers in any of three health conditions: Hepatitis C, substance abuse prevention or HIV/AIDS prevention. The strategic plan mapped out how to access these communities by having culturally /linguistically appropriate health educators, outreach strategies, tailored prevention workshops, and use of translated materials. Finally, both the need assessment and strategic plan identified key challenges in developing effective intervention for this population such as lack of data, limited peer reviewed materials to reference, and more importantly, the limited numbers of community based providers who can meet the multiple health prevention needs of these populations. The last finding is notable given the Bay Area is well known for having a high concentration of immigrant Asians. Overall, the SPF facilitated key accomplishments: community buy-in, resource identification, data collection strategy, prevention workshop development and implementation, and capacity building.