Using structural characteristics of community coalitions to predict progress in adopting evidence-based prevention programs

The study examined the relationship between six characteristics of community coalitions (size of region covered, structure, professional representation, resource sharing, size, and breadth of prevention stakeholder representation) and community organizational progress in adopting drug prevention programs. The study utilized baseline data from community leaders (n=533) in 24 cities from Step Towards Effective Prevention (STEP), a multi-state, multi-city randomized trial that is evaluating the effects of a television-based prevention training intervention on adoption of evidence-based drug prevention programs. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a measurement model with a good fit to the data on four of the characteristics. Structural equation modeling showed that these characteristics had significant positive relationships to organizational progress, with the exception of size of the region covered. Results suggest that coalitions which have a clear structure, professional focus, resource sharing, and a smaller service region are likely to show the most progress in adopting evidence-based drug prevention programs.