EUROPEAN UNIVERSAL PREVENTION
CURRICULUM
LES 1: EPIDEMIOLOGY PART 1
WHAT IS PREVENTION?
“Interventions that have a clear goal (and are therefore developed) and are systematically trying to prevent a
problem. The goal has to be to prevent a problem and this has to happen in a systematic way, not through a
one time intervention but by developing a prevention strategy/policy (see above)”
“Prevention is the application of prevention science to address the health and safety of individuals through
improving socialization processes to enhance self-realization and participation in society”.
What do we mean by prevention? There are many definitions of prevention developed by many groups.
This definition forms the foundation for the Universal Prevention Curriculum.
In incorporates several important concepts or ideas:
- Prevention is the application of prevention science to the real world. This recognizes that science
alone is not enough, it needs to be used, not just studied, if it is to accomplish its purpose.
o We are implementers who use the results of prevention science in the conduct of our work
- Prevention science incorporates science and research across many social, behavioral, and health
sciences
o These include sociology, psychology, epidemiology, biology, physiology and pharmacology
- To address the health and safety of individuals is a broad and encompassing objective of prevention
o We are focusing on enhancing positive behaviors to improve the quality of life such as
avoiding the use of psychoactive substances and other risky behaviors
- Improving socialization and socialization processes, in order to provide supportive social
environments that influence decisions about engaging in healthy behaviors
- Enhancing self-realization and healthy and positive participation and integration into society
o This is our broader goal: that we are not only trying to prevent problem behaviors such as
substance use, but we are also strengthening people’s abilities to live up to their potential in
society
WHY IS PREVENTION IMPORTANT?
- People have to live in an environment where they can choose how to live
- It has an impact on human welfare
- Related to raising national income levels (through children’s education, worker productivity and
reducing burden on national health and social care systems)
- WHO: non-communicable diseases and conditions take up to 60% of all deaths worldwide (that can be
prevented; due to socioeconomic conditions, industrial practices and lifestyle decisions)
- Introducing and sustaining evidence-based substance use prevention interventions to parents,
schools, businesses and the media is important
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,Therefore: health promotion strategies are an important way of engaging and empowering people to choose
healthy behaviours.
GOAL SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION
- Delay or stop people from beginning to use substances
- To avoid the development of substance use disorders and associated health and social problems
- Encourage healthy and safe development of children and youngsters
Development children: helping them positively engage with family, schools, peers, workplace and society.
ETHICS AND SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION (P17-18)
- May not require physical or clinical intervention
- All interventions are underpinned by judgements about what is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for participants
- May be introduced as a result of society’s perceptions of the acceptability of a particular behaviour
- Prevention is typically targeted at young people (most vulnerable & excluded from mainstream
society)
The principles of ethical substance use prevention activities derived from EDPQS:
§ To adhere to to legal requirements
§ To respect participants’ rights and autonomy
§ To provide real benefits for participants
§ To cause no harm to or substantial disadvantages for participants
§ To provide transparent, accurate, neutral and comprehensive information
§ To obtain participants’ consent before participation
§ To ensure that participation is voluntary
§ To treat participant data confidentially
§ To treat participation in prevention activities confidentially where necessary
§ To tailor the intervention to participants’ needs and preferences
§ To involve participants as partners in the development, implementation and evaluation of the
intervention
§ To protect participants’ and staff members’ health and safety
à depending on the type of intervention, it may be difficult or not feasible to adhere to all principles of
ethical substance use prevention.
DEFINITION ‘EPIDEMIOLOGY’
“The study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events (including disease), the
onset of the health-related state/event/disease (incidence), the existing cases of the health-related
state/event/disease (prevalence), and the application of this study to the control of diseases and other health
problems” (WHO definition)
à not only a disease but also an event (e.g. child abuse)
EPIDEMIOLOGY
- How often diseases occur in different groups of people and why
- Science that studies the distribution, incidence, prevalence and control of disease in population
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, • Prevalence refers to the total number of individuals in a population who have a disease or
health condition at a specific period of time, usually expressed as a percentage of the
population
• Incidence refers to the number of individuals who develop a specific disease or experience a
specific health-related event during a particular time period (such as a month or year)
WHY DO WE NEED EPIDEMIOLOGY?
- To understand some causes of problems
- To identify target populations for prevention
- To prepare and evaluate strategies to prevent the disease in general populations
- To guide treatment for people who have already developed the disease
EPIDEMIOLOGY HELPS PREVENTION PROFESSIONALS
- Where to target prevention interventions
- What substance to target
- To whom the interventions should be targeted
- When to target the interventions
- What the mediators of the prevention intervention should be
SUBSTANCE USE IN EUROPE (P23 EV)
Prevention of substance use can focus on licit or illicit psychoactive substances, including:
- Alcohol
- Tobacco products
- Other, often illicit, drugs, including cannabis, amphetamines, cocaine or those that are legally
produced but are used solely for their psychoactive or non-medical effects (e.g. licensed medicines
and new psychoactive substances)
In Europe:
- Polydrug consumption is common
- Use of all substances is generally higher among males à more intensive or regular patterns of use
- Across all age groups: cannabis is the illicit substance most likely to be used
- Cocaine is the most commonly used illicit stimulant substance
- Among regular consumers:
• Socially integrated users (sniff cocaine)
• Marginalized users (inject cocaine or smoke crack)
All substances may be harmful because of short- and long-term toxic effects.
SUBSTANCE USE IN EUROPE (CIJFERMATERIAAL NK?)
- European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD):
• 83% of European students had consumed alcohol at least once in their lifetime
• Half of the students reported drinking alcohol at least once in the last month
• 47% have smoked cigarettes
• 23% reported smoking one or more cigarettes a day
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