Not just another meeting… SPF SIG Community Coalitions and their Role in Substance Abuse Prevention

Although coalitions are a popular strategy for addressing substance abuse problems (Downey, Ireson, Slavova, McKee, 2008; Zakocs & Edwards, 2006; Roussos & Fawcett, 2000), research on their effectiveness at changing health indicators is limited and results have been mixed (Green and Kreuter, 2002; Flewelling et al., 2005). This research examines the effectiveness of coalitions funded through SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention's Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG) initiative. Of the 450 funded communities, 317 are coalitions. As part of the SPF SIG cross-site evaluation, these communities reported on their work as a coalition, including the number and level of participation of their partners. Grantees also answered questions designed to assess the strength of the coalition. This research examines several measures of coalition strength, and how those measures changed over the life of the initiative. This research also analyzes the relationship between coalition strength and coalition outputs, products, activities and health outcomes. Because much of the work of community health planning and policy development is conducted by coalitions, the findings from this research can be used to better understand the role of coalitions in implementing substance abuse prevention interventions. Community health planning by its very nature requires us to consider an integrated approach to health promotion and community coalitions are increasingly used to address multiple issues. By examining features of substance abuse prevention coalitions that enhance their effectiveness, we may be able to improve the work of the coalitions and extend that knowledge to other types of coalitions.