That is, as soon as economic times get tough again, prevention programs will be sacrificed at the altar of cost-cutting, and a lack of data about effectiveness will be the axe that is invoked to do the job. This is the hardest but most important part. However, they too are descriptive, complex, and relatively weak when translated into the specificities needed for intervention. At worst, preventionists have got into the habit of using nontheories as theories. Although this is undoubtedly true, this is not a theory but a statement that things are a little too complex to make any definitive statements.
Rigorous theory is crucial to the design and success of prevention programs.
Compare this with the lack of effectiveness often found for programs aiming to prevent eating and substance-use disorders. Many of these programs simply educate children about risks and provide generic skills training rather than base intervention on a model of how these problems develop. Not only is theory crucial to guide the development of programs, but it also aids flexibility of implementation. Thus, when underlying theory is clear, programs can be adapted to the needs of particular settings and populations without compromising integrity. The existence of an explicit theoretical base was not identified for programs reviewed by Greenberg et al.