RHP&EO is the electronic journal of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education

Community Based Health Promotion And Prevention Of Substance Use Among Young People In Western Norway

Tone Bergan* and Erik Iversen**

* Dept. of Health and Social Welfare, Hordaland County, Bergen, Norway
** Dept. of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

The National Directorate for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems in Norway is financing a community intervention project including five municipalities in Hordaland County, Western Norway. The project, aimed at reducing harms from substance use and abuse amongst young persons between 16 and 25 years of age, has been going on since May 1994 and will last throughout 1996. Active community involvement and community ownership are important principles. The project evolves through a five stage model as described by Bracht & Kingsbury (1990). An important purpose, in addition to a reduction of substance use related problems in the target group, is to obtain information fibout feasibility and possibilities of local health promotion and prevention activities. The community project leaders are all professionals, employed in the health and social, or the cultural, sector in the municipalities. Other members of the community project groups includes representatives from the public sector, voluntary organisations, politicians and the target group. As would be expected, the way of organising the project differs between the five participating communities. When the project last summer proceeded to the implementation phase of the model, the target group to an increasing degree got involved in the project. As of now (june '96), most of project activities are the result of ideas from the young people themselves. By now, the project includes 34 different preventive measures, out of which 28 involves constructive, concrete activities for the target group. According to the community project leaders, the project has had an impact on the way prevention of alcohol and other drugs are dealt with within the municipalities, has led to increased municipal allocations of means to preventive activities, has led to increased cooperation between community actors, and has led to an expressed wish in all five communities to continue work and activities in the spirit of the project model. The functions of the principal project leader have changed during the development of the project. A progress report will be presented.

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