Evaluating and improving prevention programs: a strategy from drug abuse.

This paper describes a methodology used to overcome the difficulties in evaluating and improving prevention programs. The methodology was applied in this case to a drug abuse prevention program. The methodology includes using health-oriented rather than pathology-oriented outcome measures, random assignment to groups, multiple settings, multiple outcome measures, goal-free evaluation, and the recording of process variables. The first year results showed program effectiveness in one setting and not in the other. Process analyses pointed toward improvements that could be made. Those improvements were implemented and led to greater program effectiveness in the second year.