NCJ Number
156872
Date Published
1995
Length
89 pages
Annotation
This manual is intended as a guide to assist community coalitions and other groups addressing drug abuse to develop indicators that describe the scope and nature of local drug abuse problems and to use indicator data as one strategy in combating harm from drug abuse.
Abstract
These indicators compare current conditions to those of the past and describe and monitor change in the number of drug users, the level of community harm associated with drug problems, and the level of community effort to prevent or deal with the harm. The guidelines focus on the use of available data sources and simple analytical techniques. They describe the process of developing indicators, suggest 20 possible indicators, and outline use and interpretation issues. The indicators focus on availability, use, prevention and treatment activities, enforcement and regulation activities, and harm. Specific indicators include the number of sites with licenses to sell alcohol, the presence of written policies against tobacco in schools, the gallons of ethanol sold, the number of open Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, the cigarette tax rate, and child abuse reports to child welfare agencies. Figures, lists of organizations and State agencies, lists of electronic sources of information