NCJ Number
187228
Journal
Evaluation and Program Planning Volume: 23 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2000 Pages: 373-379
Editor(s)
Jonathan A. Morell
Date Published
August 2000
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study examined how structural characteristics of community coalitions focused on drug abuse prevention were related to different measures of community impact by 28 Illinois counties.
Abstract
The coalitions ranged in age from 2 to 12 years. For each coalition, the evaluation assessed the impact of organizational and structural characteristics on three dependent variables: (1) changes in the local prevention service system; (2) local anti-ATOD (alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs) public policies advocated by coalitions; and (3) coalition effectiveness in developing comprehensive, research-based drug abuse prevention plans. Findings revealed different structural characteristics were related to the three different community impacts. Structural characteristics of coalitions explained 25 to 33 percent of the variance in coalition effectiveness. The authors conclude structural and organizational features of coalitions may facilitate capacity development differently and thus may lead to varying community impacts. 25 references and 1 table