Substance Abuse Prevention Programming and Research: A Partnership in Need of Improvement

Abstract

Drawing upon relevant literature and personal experience conducting surveys of substance use among young people, this paper focuses on the mutual need effective prevention programming and drug research have of one another. Important relationships and experiences that need to be taken into account in improving the ties between drug prevention programming and research are addressed. In the context of this discussion, a brief natural history of a South Bronx, New York City junior high school survey completed in 1976 is presented, and some of its findings relating to the development of prevention efforts in the school and community are reviewed.