VΙΙ Meeting of the Expert Group on Demand Reduction, September 13 – 15, 2005, Ottawa, Canada Data Considerations for Prevention Programme Performance Indicators Pernell Clarke Specialist Inter-American Observatory on Drugs CICAD

Summary of Presentation  Indicators and measurement  Types of Data  SIDUC: A tool for evaluation?  Other options for data gathering

Indicators & Measurement  Process Did the intervention take place as was planned? How good was it?  Outcomes Increased knowledge? Change in attitudes? Change in behaviour? Delayed onset of drug use?

Data Collection Types  Focus Groups  Unstructured Interviews  Sample Surveys  Census  Administrative Data Administrative data are collected as a result of day-to-day operations during a programme

Data Requirements  Level of drug use Prevalence Incidence  Age of onset of drug use  Knowledge & Attitudes  Consequences of drug use  Related behaviours

SIDUC Inter-American Uniform Drug Use Data System Sistema Inter-Americano de Datos Uniformes Sobre Consumo de Drogas

Introduction to SIDUC  SIDUC is a system that gathers data on the demand for and consumption of drugs  It utilises a number of research protocols and instruments to collect uniform indicators on various aspects of the drug phenomenon  It has been in existence for about 9 years  It has been applied throughout the hemisphere in various population segments

Objectives of SIDUC  Gather cross-sectional data on drug users  Gather longitudinal data  Gather data that is comparable across countries and across time  Provide statistics and other info for policy makers and programme managers  Continuously monitor the drug problem in the hemisphere

Types of Protocols  Household Survey  Survey of Secondary School Students  University Students  Juvenile Offenders  Patients in Treatment Centers  Patients in Emergency Rooms  Juvenile Offenders  Prisoners (Soon)

Secondary School Survey - Objectives  To estimate the prevalence of drug use in the student population  To estimate the incidence of drug use in the student population  Determine the age of first use, frequency of use and accessibility to drugs  Find out the characteristics of consumers Vs. Abstainers  Determine level of knowledge about the effects of drugs

Secondary School Survey – Objectives (cont’d)  To diagnose the problem of drug use among secondary school students  To inform the planning and implementation of prevention programs  To evaluate progress

Methodology  A representative sample of secondary school students is taken  Self-administered questionnaire is used to collect data  Data is entered and processed  Univariate and bivariate analyses are performed  Results are reported  Ideally, this process is repeated every 2-3 years

SIDUC and Evaluation of Prevention Programmes  SIDUC provides a sound basis for quantitative data collection in evaluation studies  Many of the indicators are similar to those that are required in the evaluation of prevention programmes  It is scientific  It has been tried and tested throughout the hemisphere  The protocols are readily available

However……  SIDUC may only be able to measure baseline indicators and outcomes for the target group  The instruments and protocols will need to be adapted for other data requirements  We (CICAD) do not have protocols for the collection of qualitative data, but these exist elsewhere (UNODC, EMCCDA, et al.)  Focus groups, and administrative records will also need to be used  Eventually………… Programme managers will need to be sensitised Training for potential evaluators will have to be undertaken

Conclusions 1.The measurement of indicators requires valid and reliable data 2.Valid and reliable information is required to evaluate programmes 3.We will require data in a data-scarce culture and environment 4.Programme managers will need to be sensitised and trained to accept this culture 5.If used in conjunction with other data sources and methods, SIDUC has the potential to be a useful data collection tool in the evaluation of prevention programmes

The End Thank you for your attention! Pernell Clarke 2005/09/15