Articles

Implementing the Icelandic Model for Preventing Adolescent Substance Use

Kristjansson, Alfgeir L.; Mann, Michael J.; Sigfusson, Jon; Thorisdottir, Ingibjorg E.; Allegrante, John P.; Sigfusdottir, Inga Dora

This is the second in a two-part series of articles about the Icelandic Model for Primary Prevention of Substance Use (IPM) in this volume of Health Promotion Practice. IPM is a community collaborative approach that has demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in reducing substance use initiation among youth in Iceland over the past 20 years. While the first article focused attention on the background context, theoretical orientation, evaluation and evidence of effectiveness, and the five guiding principles of the model, this second article describes the 10 core steps to practical implementation. Steps 1 to 3 focus on building and maintaining community capacity for model implementation. Steps 4 to 6 focus on implementing a rigorous system of data collection, processing, dissemination, and translation of findings. Steps 7 to 9 are designed to focus community attention and to maximize community engagement in creating and sustaining a social environment in which young people become progressively less likely to engage in substance use, including demonstrative examples from Iceland. And Step 10 focuses on the iterative, repetitive, and long-term nature of the IPM and describes a predictable arc of implementation-related opportunities and challenges. The article is concluded with a brief discussion about potential variation in community factors for implementation.

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Also Published In

Title
Health Promotion Practice
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839919849033

More About This Work

Academic Units
Health and Behavior Studies
Published Here
February 19, 2020

Notes

KEYWORDS: Icelandic Model; adolescence; implementation; practice-based evidence; prevention; substance use