~Prevention News~
An international meeting co-sponsored by WFMH was held inWashington, D.C., on 10-12 December 1998, as part of an ongoing effort tocreate a comprehensive registry of research trials on the prevention ofmental disorders, substance abuse, and behavioral problems. WFMH’sInternational Prevention Consortium has been supportive of this work for sometime; Drs. Hendricks Brown, Clemens Hosman and Patricia Mrazek presented asession on the need for developing an international registry for preventiontrials during the World Congress in Finland in July 1997.
As the field of prevention science develops, a major problemhas emerged over how to compare and evaluate the impact of preventivestrategies developed by research groups in different countries. There arenow hundredsof trials in the prevention of psychiatric and emotionaldisorders; drug and alcohol use and abuse; crime and delinquency;, child abuse; andother behaviorally related outcomes such as preventing transmission ofHIV/AIDS. A large body of literature on prevention now exists, but it isscattered among so many different journals and reflects such widevariations in study design that it is difficult for scientists and policy makers touse it.
In order to allow prevention science to develop in a way thatfacilitates the comparison of evidence from international research, there isan urgent need to establish an accepted, broad and inclusiveclassification system. The December 1998 meeting in Washington D.C. allowed some 50scientists who have been funded by different agencies in different countries todiscuss the classification of research trials. The issues included riskandprotective factors, population and epidemiologic perspectives,life-span development, community, cultural and institutionalcharacteristics, measures of scientific integrity in study design, characteristics of theintervention itself, the level of program implementation, and the program’simpact on short- and long-term outcomes.
The classification system is now being revised, usinginformation and suggestions from meeting participants. The next version of thesystem will be presented and critiqued at the Annual Conference of theSociety for Prevention Research (SPR) in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA on24-26 June 1999. The new President of the Society is Professor Sheppard Kellam,M.D., head of WFMH Collaborating Center, the Prevention Research Center ofJohns Hopkins University.
The deadline for abstract submissions for the SPR conferenceis 29 January 1999. The theme of the meeting is “Toward a Synthesisof Prevention Science Paradigms Over the Life Course.” Internationalparticipation is welcomed. For information about the conference contact:
Rita Santucci
SPR Administrative Coordinator
St. Francis Medical Center
10E, 45th Street (off Penn Avenue)
Pittsburgh, PA 15201, USA
Tel: 412-622- 6174
Fax:412-622- 6178
SPR Voice Mail: 412 688 3502
Email: [email protected]or [email protected]