There is a growing need for evidence-based prevention programs. We provide professionals with specialized, state-of-the-art training in prevention science theory, methods, practice, research, and evaluation methods to be well equipped to meet the urgent need for synthetic psychoactive substance use prevention to engage in effective, evidence-based synthetic substance use prevention using persuasion-based media prevention efforts. The media-specific objectives of the synthetic psychotropic substance use prevention curriculum are as follows:
- To learn how media, in conjunction with evidence-based persuasive prevention theories, can be used to deliver effective synthetic substance use prevention campaigns.
- To develop these theory-based persuasive synthetic drug prevention media campaigns.
- To ensure trainees can apply the information conveyed in the Claremont program to their specific cultural context.
- To evaluate the preventive efficacy of their efforts scientifically, with reliable and valid measures.
At the conclusion of the program, participants will have completed a complete media-based synthetic substance use prevention plan/campaign that is ready to implement in their communities.
- Having learned the fundamental features of persuasive prevention, participants will be capable of generalizing their learning to different issues and illicit substances, which are likely to arise in the future.
- As a natural outcome of their training, participants will form a cadre of well-educated fellow prevention specialists from their areas with whom they may interact and collaborate over the course of their prevention efforts, amplifying the effects of their training.
The program is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Dr. William Crano participated in the development of the UNODC International Standards on Drug Use Prevention in 2013 and the revision in 2018. The Prevention Standards focused on strategies based on scientific evidence working with families, schools, communities, and the media can ensure that children and youth, especially the most marginalized and poor, grow and stay healthy and safe into adulthood and old age. For every dollar spent on prevention, at least ten can be saved in future health, social and crime costs.
The updated second edition of the Standards and has been published jointly with the World Health Organization and summarizes the currently available scientific evidence, describing interventions and policies that have been found to result in positive prevention outcomes and their characteristics. Concurrently, the document identifies the major components and features of an effective national drug prevention system. The Standards assist policy makers worldwide to develop programs, policies and systems that are a truly effective investment in the future of children, youth, families, communities, and the media. This work builds on and recognizes the work of many other organizations (e.g. EMCDDA, CCSA, CICAD, Mentor, NIDA, WHO) which have previously developed standards and guidelines on various aspects of drug prevention.
Resulting from his participation in the Standards project, Dr. Crano became the content developer for the Universal Prevention Curriculum (UPC) Media Courses for Coordinators and for Implementers for the Colombo Plan. Once the courses were developed, Dr. Crano participated in the international pilot tests of the materials and revisions of the curricula, and has since trained Global Master trainers throughout the world. The program detailed below incorporates the UPC Media in a more comprehensive education program geared toward developing media campaigns based on evidence that will prove effective on reducing and eliminating substance use.
This program has been offered four times since 2018. The program’s 60 participants come from 19 countries in Africa, Asia, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Many have offered education and training programs in their countries, teaching colleagues and others about evidence-based use of media in prevention campaigns and have initiated campaigns themselves. Some are in the development stages; others have been implemented and a few are in the process of being evaluated. CGU received funding to offer an advanced refresher course for alumni of the program and there was a competition for alumni teams to engage in a mentoring program with us. Four teams from Africa and South America are in the process of implementing campaigns developed during this ongoing mentorship which continues through program evaluation. In addition, CGU professors and staff have been mentoring others who were not able to compete for the program at the time because of situations in their countries. Additionally, CGU alumni and faculty have made numerous presentations at meetings such at ISSUP, ICUDDR, SPR, and EUSPR about the program.
The program has been designed to cover five key areas of Media-Based Prevention Science and Evaluation related to synthetic drug use prevention, culminating in the applied Capstone course. These include the following:
- Introduction to the science of persuasion and its application in persuasive evidence-based substance use media prevention programs, with specific reference to fentanyl and other synthetic drugs
- The nature of the media and theories of media effects, and their practical application in substance use prevention campaigns
- Improving the impact of media-based substance use prevention campaigns
- Monitoring and evaluation applied to media campaigns
- Capstone: Developing customized synthetic drug prevention campaigns for immediate use of each trainee in their home countries, and methods to evaluate their effectiveness
All participants entering the certificate program in media-based synthetic substance use prevention science will be required to complete the following:
- As a prerequisite to admission to the Claremont program, all participants will have completed the UPC-Core course prior to program commencement.
- Seminars on theories of Health Behavior, Attitude Change, Communication, and Persuasion, and their implementation, will be presented
- ICCE UPC-I Media Based Prevention Track
All courses can be offered face-to-face by region or via distance learning at participants’ home bases. Courses are facilitated and guided by the Institute’s senior teaching faculty. The UPC Media-Based Prevention Track requires teaching fellow guided, self-directed, computer-based learning. The curriculum was developed by experts in the field (HPPSI faculty) and has been used in training master trainers worldwide. It culminates in participants developing media-based prevention campaigns that are appropriate for use in their home countries, along with an evaluation component to test the effect of their campaigns. Depending upon the timeframe, this portion of the program can be delivered over 1 week (Full time, 5 days, 6-7 hours/day, face-to-face) or online (3 hours/week for 12-weeks of assisted online class meetings in which participants discuss issues, questions, and concerns related to the week’s UPC coursework and homework and discuss their prevention projects at various stages of development, from initiation to completion. Upon completion of parts A-C above, all will work on tailored Capstone projects by region or country, with full support of senior faculty. All competency areas in Media-Based Prevention Science will be addressed during the Advanced Prevention Science Capstone course, at which time participants’ media campaigns and evaluation plans will be reviewed and prepared for implementation at home.
Improvement of media based persuasive prevention campaigns worldwide that will be based on evidence and have positive effects on the population. The development of continent-wide and world-wide networks of certified and trained professionals who can consult with each other and with organizations and governments in their countries on the development, implementation, and evaluation of media-based prevention messages, campaigns, and evaluations.
Improvement of media based persuasive prevention campaigns that will be based on evidence and have positive effects on the population. The development of country-wide networks of certified and trained professionals who can consult with each other and with organizations and governments in their countries on the development, implementation, and evaluation of media-based prevention messages, campaigns, and evaluations, which would lead toward lower usage rates of targeted substances in the country.
Current State Participants
Dates and Countries of those trained in each country to this date:
2018: Botswana. Ghana, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines
2019: Peru, Colombia, Barbados
2021: Tunisia, South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Brazil
2023: Ecuador, El Salvador, Colombia, Paraguay, Panama, Dominican Republic
2022-2024 Alumni Mentorship Program: Brazil, Botswana, Tunisia, Botswana (unofficial participants from Philippines and Vietnam)
Colombo Plan, Dr. Josephine Choong Lean Keow, Project Manager – Prevention Curriculum Development, jochoong [dot] leankeow [at] colombo-plan [dot] org (jochoong[dot]leankeow[at]colombo-plan[dot]org)
OAS/CICAD, Andrea Escobar, Senior Program Officer - Demand Reduction Unit, aescobar [at] oas [dot] org (aescobar[at]oas[dot]org)
Claremont Graduate University, Professor William D. Crano, Oskamp Professor of Social Psychology and Director, Health Psychology and Prevention Science Institute, Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences
Department of Psychology, william [dot] crano [at] cgu [dot] edu (william[dot]crano[at]cgu[dot]edu)
