The intent of this study is to look broadly at what has been learned and the information that has accumulated through the studies conducted in Louisiana, and then consider how and where this information fits within an overall planning framework for the State.
Prevention refers to forestalling the development of a substance abuse disorder.
It includes promoting healthy behaviors for all individuals as well as targeting corrective action toward those at know risk for developing problems or those who are already displaying low levels of symptoms. For some, experimental use will inevitably escalate to regular or heavy use. A goal of prevention is to reduce this percentage by deterring the development of problem use rather than treating the condition after it has developed. A number of these prevention programs have been evaluated, shown to lower substance use or decrease associated risk factors. Another aspect of data integration explored in this report is whether data from diverse sources support and compliment each other, and the various patterns of association among data elements.