International Centre for Credentialing and Education of Addiction Professionals (ICCE)

The Universal Prevention Curriculum (UPC) for Substance Use Training Series

Curriculum 1
Introduction to Prevention Science

MODULE 1—TRAINING INTRODUCTION

1.1
Learning Objectives

 Explain the overall training goals, e.g.,

 Overview of prevention science
 Selecting effective interventions and other skills/tools of
prevention coordinators
 Understand at least four learning objectives, e.g.,
 Progression of substance use and epidemiology
 Prevention science and the UNODC International
Standards of Drug Use Prevention
 Prevention implementation, evaluation, and monitoring
 State at least one personal learning goal
1.2
Partner Exercise: Introduction

 What is your name?

 What is your job title? What does your job
entail?
 Can you tell me a recent amusing experience or
exciting adventure you may have had recently
OR one interesting fact about yourself (this
could be a special skill, interest, hobby)?

1.3
Training Materials

 Master Agenda
 ParticipantManual
 Power Point slides with lines to note
 Notebook for a journal
 UNODC International Standards on Drug Use
Prevention
 European Drug Prevention Quality Standards
(To be ordered)

1.4
Substance Use World-Wide

 The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

(UNODC) reports that, in 2012, 162 to 324
million people between ages 15 and 64 used
illicit substances at least once.
 Of those who use psychoactive substances,
10%-14% will develop substance use problems.

1.5
World Extent of Psychoactive Substance Use

http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/facts/global_burden/en/ 1.6
Leading Causes of Attributable Global
Mortality and Burden of Disease, 2004

Attributable Mortality Attributable Disability-Associated Life Years

% %
1. High blood pressure 12.8 1. Childhood underweight
2. Tobacco use 5.9
8.7 2. Unsafe sex 4.6
3. High blood glucose 5.8 3. Alcohol use
4. Physical inactivity 4.5
5.5 4. Unsafe water, sanitation, hygiene
5. Overweight and obesity 4.2
4.8 5. High blood pressure 3.7
6. High cholesterol 6. Tobacco use
4.5 3.7
7. Unsafe sex 4.0 7. Suboptimal breastfeeding
59 million total global deaths in 2004 1.5 billion total global DALYs in 2004
8. Alcohol use 2.9
3.8 8. High blood glucose 2.7 1.7
9. Childhood underweight 9. Indoor smoke from solid fuels 2.7
Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY)

Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY)

Mortality (% of DALYs (% of are calculated by adding the years of
all deaths total years of life lost due to premature mortality
worldwide) life lost) and the years of life lost due to living
with disability. The years of life lost
due to disability are determined from
Tobacco 8.8 4.1 morbidity, where each disease has
been given a certain disability
Alcohol 3.2 4.0 weight, which is multiplied with the
time spent with that disease, to
Illicit drugs 0.4 0.8 arrive at the years of life lost due to
disability.

http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/facts/global_burden/en/ 1.8
Prevalence of Substance Use (18-29 Year Olds)

Country Tobacco Alcohol T&A Cannabis Other drugs Other Drugs

W/Cannabis Initiations
Colombia 49.1 96.1 96.8 14.4 7.2 42.2

Mexico 64.4 91.5 92.1 11.5 9.6 58.3

USA 74.4 96.2 96.0 57.6 27.3 12.6

Belgium − 88.4 88.4 31.0 10.2 8.7

France − 94.5 94.5 52.9 11.0 21.7

Italy − 79.6 79.6 17.4 1.1 27.0

Netherlands − 92.6 92.6 38.9 15.5 40.7

Ukraine 81.1 99.7 99.4 15.2 2.6 32.1

Nigeria 9.0 62.1 63.1 3.1 0.4 93.1

South Africa 33.1 45.5 52.0 12.7 3.0 51.1

China 49.3 78.7 84.0 1.4 0.6 −

Japan − 97.2 97.2 4.5 4.8 77.3

New Zealand − 95.4 95.4 63.0 23.6 7.0

Degenhardt et al., 2010 1.9

Variation of Disability-Adjusted Life Years by
Substance

1.10
Why is Prevention of Health and Social
Problems Important for any Nation?

 Health is linked to:

 Rising incomes
 Increased productivity
 Children’s education
 Adult well-being

1.11
Why is Substance Use Prevention Important?

 The primary objective of substance use prevention

is to help people, particularly young people, avoid or
delay the initiation of the use of psychoactive
substances, or, if they have started already, to avoid
the development of disorders (e.g. dependence).
 The general aim of substance use prevention is
much broader, the healthy and safe development of
children and youth to realize their potential and
become contributing members of their community
and society.

1.12
Prevention Coordinators: The Face of
Prevention

Prevention Coordinators:
 Translate prevention
science for policy-makers,
decision-makers and major
stakeholders, and the public
 Apply their understanding of
prevention science to
promote the quality delivery
of evidence-based
prevention programming
1.13
Training Series Goal

 To
reduce the significant health, social, and
economic problems associated with substance
use throughout the world by:
 Building international prevention capacity through
training, professionalizing, and expanding the
substance use prevention workforce.

1.14
Overarching Themes (1/2)

 Substance use inclusion: Tobacco & alcohol,

illegal drugs and the non-medical use of Rx
drugs
 The “science of prevention” and how it can
provide effective interventions for families,
schools, workplace and communities
 Evidence-based (EB) interventions and policies
and how to use them

1.15
Overarching Themes (2/2)

 Developmental nature of substance use

 The Etiology Model: Substance use is a result of
interactions between environmental factors and
the characteristics of individuals
 Prevention professionals need to be “expert” in
a multiple of disciplines
 Emphasis on the skills to convene stakeholders,
analyze data, and implement, monitor, and
evaluate outcomes
1.16
Curricula in the Series

 Curriculum 1: Introduction to Prevention Science

(5 days)
 Foundational and basic knowledge, not skills-based
 Overview of the science that underlies evidence-
based prevention interventions and strategies and
the application of these effective approaches in
prevention practice

1.17
Curricula in the Series

 Curriculum2: Physiology and Pharmacology for

Prevention Specialists (3 days)
 Foundational and basic knowledge, not skills-based
 Overview of the physiology and pharmacology of
psychoactive substances and their effects on the
brain to affect mood, cognition, and behavior and
the consequences of such use on the individual, the
family, and the community

1.18
Curricula in the Series

 Curriculum3: Monitoring and Evaluation of

Prevention Interventions and Policies (5 days)
 Skills-based
 Describes the primary evaluation methods used to
measure evidence-based drug use prevention
interventions; provides guidance in applying them
to “real-world” settings

1.19
Curricula in the Series

 Curriculum 4: Family-Based Prevention

Interventions (4 days)
 Foundational and basic knowledge, not skills-based
 Overview of the family as the primary socialization
agent of children, the science behind family-based
prevention interventions, and the application of
such evidence-based approaches to help prevent
the onset of substance use in children

1.20
Curricula in the Series

 Curriculum 5: School-Based Prevention

Interventions (5 days)
 Foundational and basic knowledge, not skills-based
 Overview of the school in society, the science
behind school-based prevention interventions, and
the application of such evidence-based approaches
in school settings around the world

1.21
Curricula in the Series

 Curriculum 6: Workplace-Based Prevention

Interventions (3 days)
 Foundational and basic knowledge, not skills-based
 Overviews the role of work and the workplace in
society, how stresses and other work-related
influences affect people’s risk of substance use, the
science behind workplace prevention interventions,
and the application of such evidence-based
approaches in work settings around the world

1.22
Curricula in the Series

 Curriculum 7: Environment-Based Prevention

Interventions (3 days)
 Foundational and basic knowledge; and
skills-based
 Overviews the science underlying evidence-based
drug use prevention environmental interventions
involving policy and community-wide strategies

1.23
Curricula in the Series

 Curriculum 8: Media-Based Prevention

Interventions
(3 days)
 Foundational and basic knowledge; and
skills-based
 Overviews the science underlying the use of media
for substance use prevention interventions

1.24
Curricula in the Series

 Curriculum
9: Community-Based Prevention
Implementation Systems (5 days)
 Foundational, and skills-based
 Overviews the science underlying systems
approaches to prevention interventions; presents
exemplars of evidence-based drug use prevention
systems; and provides guidance on developing
such approaches

1.25
Curriculum 1 Training Goals

 To provide an overview of the science that is the

foundation for prevention;
 To provide an overview of the information needed
to inform the selection of prevention interventions;
 To provide participants with the tools to inform
stakeholders and policy-makers about the
foundation of evidence-based drug use
prevention;
 To provide participants with the tools to coordinate
and supervise drug use prevention specialists
1.26
Curriculum 1 Learning Objectives (1)

 Discuss the levels of progression of substance use and the role

of prevention;
 Explain the scientific foundation of prevention to the public,
stakeholders, policy-makers, and drug use prevention
specialists;
 the importance of understanding the who, what, when, where, and how of
substance use within the defined community
 the importance of understanding the influence of personal and
environmental factors on vulnerability and risk
 the importance of understanding human development both for targeting
interventions but also for’ tailoring messaging and intervention strategies
 the importance of applying empirically-based behavior change theories
 the importance of research to understanding how effective interventions
‘work’
1.27
Curriculum 1 Learning Objectives (2)

 Describe the background and principles

underlying the development of the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime International
Standards on Drug Use Prevention
 Describe the importance of implementation
fidelity and monitoring of the delivery of
prevention interventions and the implementation
of prevention polices

1.28
Large-group Exercise: Training Expectations

 Write
two training expectations on your
remaining index card

1.29
Small-Group Exercise: What Kinds of
Information Do You Need for Prevention?

 What kinds of data will you need to

understand the substance use problem in
your community?
 Where will you get it?
 Form small groups
 Use newsprint to list the types of information and
where you think you can get it
 Report back to the large group

1.30