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Assessment

The assessment phase helps define the problem or the issue that a project needs to tackle. This phase involves the collection of data to: 

  • Understand a population’s needs   
  • Review the resources that are required and available
  • Identify the readiness of the community to address prevention needs and service gaps

To gather the necessary data, states and communities will create an epidemiological workgroup. The data gathered from this workgroup is vital because it will greatly influence a program’s strategic plan and funding decisions.

Needs Assessment Introduction Webinar

This webinar is an exact duplicate of the SPF Assessment training workshop that was presented at the OPEC Conference. It is a recording of the live webinar presented on November 21, 2011. This webinar is for anyone that was unable to attend that training or needs a refresher.

The SPF uses a five-step process known to promote youth development, reduce risk-taking behaviors, build assets and resilience, and prevent problem behaviors across the life span. This training will give an introduction overview of the SPF assessment process. It will also help the participants to better understand the assessment phase and define the problem or the issue that a project needs to tackle. It will review the methods to gather the necessary data. The data gathered is vital because it will greatly influence a program’s strategic plan and the success of program implementation.

Below is the Document Library with all of the documents that you will need for this webinar. The OPEC SPF Assessment 2011 document is the power point presentation for this webinar.

Document Library

Needs Assessment Guidebook

The Needs Assessment Guidebook was designed to help Ohio's SPF SIG Sub-Recipient communities navigate the community needs assessment process. This is the manual for you to use throughout the Needs Assessment Guidebook Webinar Series covering sections 1-8. Prior to viewing the SPF Needs Assessment Guidebook Webinar Series for Sections 1-8, it is assumed that you have attended the SPF Needs Assessment session at OPEC 2011 or attended the webinar on 11/21/2011 and have a basic understanding of the Social Ecological Model and the SPF Needs Assessment process.

The MS Word version will be helpful if you would like to type in your responses to the guidebook as you prepare your community Needs Assessment.

Needs Assessment Guidebook Overview Webinar

This webinar will provide SPF SIG Sub-Recipients with an overview of the Needs Assessment Guidebook and data entry process. This short webinar is appropriate for a SPF SIG coalition meeting to orient members to the needs assessment process and offers suggestions on how to embark on completing the Needs Assessment Guidebook.

Needs Assessment Section 1 - Introduction Webinar

This webinar will provide SPF SIG sub-recipients with detailed information regarding the Introduction Section of the Needs Assessment Guidebook, including the web-based data entry system for this section. While Sections 2-8 of the Needs Assessment guidebook can be completed in any order, it is highly recommended that all sub-recipients complete the Introduction Section first.

Necessary Materials:

Needs Assessment Section 2 - Community Readiness Webinar

This webinar will provide SPF SIG Sub-Recipients with detailed information regarding the Community Readiness Section of the Needs Assessment Guidebook, including the web-based data entry system for this section. While Sections 2-8 of the Needs Assessment guidebook can be completed in any order, it is recommended that the subcommittee or workgroup charged with completing the Community Readiness Section view the webinar prior to beginning the process. It also may be helpful to review the material on data entry before utilizing the web-based data entry system.

Necessary Materials:

Community Readiness Resources:

This handout will help you decide which Community Readiness tool is best for your community. All of the tools are valuable – you will need to choose the tool that best matches what you hope to gain from the tool.

Community Readiness Summary
This handout summarizes the levels of community readiness.

Community Partner's Institute - Community Prevention Readiness Index Tool
This is a copy of the Community Partner’s Institute – Community Prevention Readiness Index Tool.

Goodman and Wandersman's Community Key Leader Survey
This is a copy of the Goodman and Wandersman’s Community Key Leaders Survey. It also includes an interpretation guide prepared by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center.

UDETC Sample Law Enforcement Survey
This is a copy of the UDETC Sample Law Enforcement Survey. It will help you assess the level of readiness within your law enforcement agencies.

Needs Assessment Section 3 - Individual Level Webinar

This webinar will provide SPF SIG Sub-Recipients with detailed information regarding the Individual Level Section of the Needs Assessment Guidebook, including the web-based data entry system for this section.

While Sections 2-8 of the Needs Assessment guidebook can be completed in any order, it is recommended that the subcommittee or workgroup charged with completing the Individual Level Section view the webinar prior to beginning the process. It also may be helpful to review the material on data entry before utilizing the web-based data entry system.

Necessary Materials:

Individual Level Resources:
Here are some examples of surveys that collect consumption and perception data.

1. The 2010 American College Health Association - National Health Assessment
This survey has several items pertaining to ATOD use that could be modified to meet the needs of your target population.

2. The CORE Institute
This survey has some items that specifically address college age students. The items may also be applicable to youth not in college if they were modified.

3. The Monitoring the Future Survey
This survey is geared at high school seniors, the items may generalize into young adulthood. It's a large document; the actual survey items begin on page 20.

4. Alcohol Use Monthly Questionnaire
This instrument was developed for a U.S. Department of Education Grant to Reduce Alcohol Abuse (GRAA) project. It is an example of an instrument that looks at consumption as well as intervening variables.

Here is the citation for the items:

The Alcohol Use Monthly Scale contained items from three sources: Items 8 & 9 were extracted from the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System questionnaire , Items 10-17 were extracted from the general drinking and drug habits questionnaire developed by Collins, Parks & Marlatt, and Items 4-8, 18-26, 28-30 were extracted from the American Drug and Alcohol Survey - Core Measures Short Form Survey . The evaluation team at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs developed all remaining items.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Questionnaire. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005.

Collins, R., Parks, G.A., & Marlatt, G.A. (1985). Social determinants of alcohol consumption: The effects of social interaction and model status on the self-administration of alcohol. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 189-200.

Rocky Mountain Behavioral Science Institute, Inc. (RMBSI). American Drug and Alcohol Survey – Core Measures Short Form Survey. Ft. Collins, Colorado: RMBSI, 2005.

Needs Assessment Section 4 - Interpersonal Level Webinar

This webinar will provide SPF SIG Sub-Recipients with detailed information regarding the Interpersonal Level Section of the Needs Assessment Guidebook, including the web-based data entry system for this section. 

While Sections 2-8 of the Needs Assessment guidebook can be completed in any order, it is recommended that the subcommitee or workgroup charged with completing the Interpersonal Level Section view the webinar prior to beginning the process. It also may be helpful to review the material on data entry before utilizing the web-based data entry system.

Necessary Materials:

This webinar covers the Needs Assessment Guidebook pages 50-53

Interpersonal Level Resources:

1. North Carolina’s SPF SIG focused on Alcohol Related Crashes and Fatalities.

Needs Assessment Section 5 - Community Level Webinar

This webinar will provide SPF SIG sub-recipients with detailed information regarding the Community Level Section of the Needs Assessment Guidebook, including the web-based data entry system for this section.

While Sections 2-8 of the Needs Assessment guidebook can be completed in any order, it is recommended that the subcommittee or work group charged with completing the Community Level Section view the webinar prior to beginning the process. It also may be helpful to review the material on data entry before utilizing the web-based data entry system.

Necessary Materials:

Community Level Resources:

1. North Carolina’s SPF SIG focused on Alcohol Related Crashes and Fatalities.  SAMHSA's website has many state level resources and materials for collecting interpersonal-level data.

Bar Assessment Tool (Retail Availability, Pricing & Promotion), Community Access Tool (Retail Availability), Alcohol Pricing & Promotion Tool (Pricing & Promotion)

Focus Group Protocol (Social Availability & Retail Availability), Town Hall Meeting Protocol (Social Availability & Retail Availability)

2. CADCA Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit: offers some ideas for community-level needs assessment related to prescription drug misuse and abuse. While there are no specific tools, it is a good resource to begin thinking about tool creation.

Needs Assessment Section 6 - Organizational Level Webinar

This webinar will provide SPF SIG Sub-Recipients with detailed information regarding the Organizational Level Section of the Needs Assessment Guidebook, including the web-based data entry system for this section.

While Sections 2-8 of the Needs Assessment guidebook can be completed in any order, it is recommended that the subcommittee or workgroup charged with completing the Community Level Section view the webinar prior to beginning the process. It also may be helpful to review the material on data entry before utilizing the web-based data entry system.

Necessary Materials:

Needs Assessment Section 7 - Policy Level Webinar

This webinar will provide SPF SIG Sub-Recipients with detailed information regarding the Policy Level Section of the Needs Assessment Guidebook, including the web-based data entry system for this section.

While Sections 2-8 of the Needs Assessment guidebook can be completed in any order, it is recommended that the subcommittee or workgroup charged with completing the Policy Level Section view the webinar prior to beginning the process. It also may be helpful to review the material on data entry before utilizing the web-based data entry system.

Necessary Materials:

Policy Level Resources:
1. The Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS) provides detailed information on a wide variety of alcohol-related policies in the United States at both State and Federal levels. Detailed, state-by-state, information is available for the 35 policies listed below. APIS also provides a variety of informational resources of interest to alcohol policy researchers and others involved with alcohol policy issues.

Needs Assessment Section 8 - Cultural Competence Webinar

This webinar will provide SPF SIG Sub-Recipients with detailed information regarding the Cultural Competence Section of the Needs Assessment Guidebook, including the web-based data entry system for this section.

While Sections 2-8 of the Needs Assessment guidebook can be completed in any order, it is recommended that the subcommitee or workgroup charged with completing the Cultural Competence Level Section view the webinar prior to beginning the process. It also may be helpful to review the material on data entry before utilizing the web-based data entry system.

Necessary Materials:

Cultural Competence Resources:
1. America's newest generation, the Millennials, is in this coming-of-age phase. Who are they? How are they different? How are they being shaped by their moment in history? And how might they reshape America in the future? The Pew Research Center sets out to answer these questions in a yearlong series of original reports that explore the behaviors, values and opinions of today’s teens and twenty-somethings.

2. This Generation Rx Initiative website provides medication safety and prescription drug abuse prevention resources for schools, colleges and communities. The goal of the project is to enhance the public's understanding of medication safety issues in general, and those relating to prescription drug abuse in particular. The material to follow includes links to various external resources, as well as materials developed at the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy.

Additional Community Readiness Resources

Additional Community Readiness Resources

  • Community Readiness Tip Sheet
    This Tip Sheet is designed to help coalitions making sense of their Community Readiness data. It will be helpful as you decide your community's level of readiness on the NIDA scale (pages 10-12 of the Needs Assessment Guidebook).
  • Comparison of Community Readiness Assessment Tools
    This document discusses how community readiness is assessed and compares five different community readiness assessment tools that may be used to gather such data.
  • County Readiness Survey
    This is a survey by Indiana SPF to assess individual county readiness.
  • GW Interpretation Guide
    This guide groups survey responses with respect to the specific readiness areas. It also helps community members understand survey results.
  • GW Community Key Leader Survey
    This survey was created by Goodman and Wandersman from the University of South Carolina. It asks key leaders in a community about ATOD prevention to assess readiness.

Additional Assessment Resources

In a live meeting format, trainer Allison Shearer looks at assessment through the resource piece of assessment.

Assessment Resources:

This is a factsheet about collecting individual-level comsumption and perception data (NOMS). It contains information about what to expect when conducting self-reported substance abuse surveys, conducting "intercept surveys." (e.g., setting up a booth at the county fair and asking repondents to take the survey), and offers information about reaching "hard to reach" populations. There are also suggestions for how to conduct an "intercept survey.

A list of additional resources that can be used for focus groups.

This power point was designed by CSAP as a training tool for producing effective focus groups.

This guide was published by the Wilder Group as a guide to conducting successful focus groups.

A guide for mock focus group activities.

A guide for how to conduct and record focus groups.

This document can be used as a tool to train focus group moderators on effective use of probing questions.

CADCA developed this handbook as a comprehensive guide to the needs assessment step of SPF. Free print copies are available to order.

This is a short questionnaire that can be used to assess existing prevention programs within a community.

This is a grid to help implementers understand how programs already in place within a community target key initiatives and populations.

This survey was adapted by the IPRC from the Youth Community Survey developed by CSAP. The survey asks youths about their use and attitudes towards ATOD.

Created by CADCA to accompany a webinar, this document helps organizers understand.

Published by Indiana SPF, this is a generic guide for survey administrators on how to properly administer a survey.

This guide was published by the Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center to provide coalition members with information on conducting youth surveys.

Informed Consent Guidelines

Policy Level Resources

Needs Assessment Guidebook: Policy Level
In the Needs Assessment Guidebook on page 76, it says that OSET will provide an Excel spreadsheet on state-level policies related to AOD. Instead of providing you a spreadsheet, we now have the ability to provide you an interactive web page of resources. Below are some resources that may be helpful as you work on the policy-level piece of your needs assessment. Remember, the Needs Assessment Guidebook is a guide for you to start thinking about what a policy-level assessment might look like in your community. Be thinking about the key players that you need to bring to the table to address the policies relevant to your target population, sub-target/underserved population, and your priority substance(s). The table of policy influences that your community has may or may not look like the table on page 77 of the Needs Assessment Guidebook. Please work with Nicole Yandell (yandell@ohio.edu) should you have any questions or need to modify the table in any way. We want your community to own this work and we fully expect that the tables may look different in each SPF SIG community. As always, please feel free to contact your OSET Evaluator for training and/or technical assistance.

Ohio Revised Code
Below are links to the Ohio Revised Code. These may be helpful as a starting point to find information about state laws regarding AOD.

Ohio Administrative Code
Below are links to the Ohio Administrative Code. These may be helpful as a starting point to find information about Ohio state agency rules and regulations regarding AOD.

Non-medical Use of Prescription Drugs
Below are links that may be helpful as your coalition begins to think more specifically about policies related to the non-medical use of prescription drugs.

Alcohol
Below are links that may be helpful as your coalition begins to think more specifically about policies related to the non-medical use of alcohol.

Other Illicit Drugs
Below are links that may be helpful as your coalition begins to think more specifically about policies related to the non-medical use of other illicit drugs.

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