Drug education: a study of different professional perspectives in one English county

Article Abstract:

Researchers studied the perceptions of professionals regarding their aims in drug education work. The professionals worked in schools, the criminal justice system, health care and social work, in a typical non-metropolitan English county. Interviews and questionnaire responses revealed vagueness and conflicting priorities amongst workers from different professions, which indicates little possibility of establishing a co-ordinated policy. The three aims of drug education which emerged were the provision of clear information to empower decision making, the prevention of drug use, and harm minimization for drug users.

Research, Prevention, Drug abuse, Drug abuse counseling

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How useful is the 'stages of change' model?

Article Abstract:

Health educators have embraced Prochaska and DiClemente's stages of change model of human behaviour, but there are queries about its usage. The model proposes that there are five stages, including preparative and active, in which an individual may be classified regarding their attitude towards changing their behaviour. Some health educators believe that matching interventions to stages maximizes effectiveness, but questions concern the lack of evidence to justify this assumption, and the ethics of the related rationale that targets health education only at those least resistant to change.

Editorial

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Breakthrough or bandwagon? Are interventions tailored to Stage of Change more effective than non-staged interventions?

Article Abstract:

There is a need for research into the effectiveness of Prachaska and DiClemente's Stage of Change model. The model, which describes five stages in people's changing behaviour, has been enthusiastically embraced by health care workers. It has been used in a range of behaviour intervention applications, including smoking cessation programmes, and there has been a movement towards the development of brief interventions for use at the appropriate stage of change. Six studies which appear to demonstrate the effectiveness of the model are presented, together with queries about their hypotheses.

Evaluation, Smoking cessation programs, Smoking cessation, Health counseling

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