The final steps in developing successful prevention efforts involve implementation considerations. As described in Guidelines and Benchmarks for Prevention Programming , the prevention community can maximize program planning to ensure success and enhance prevention activities by following key guidelines. This is the third and final alert in a series focusing on prevention planning and programming guidelines.
Timing is a critical element in successful program implementation.
For example, one community might create a ceremony where new drivers receive their license along with information about safe driving. In this way, a common rite of passage becomes a meaningful time to communicate essential information to an interested young audience. Dramatic events, such as a substance abuse-related tragedy, can bring attention to a prevention issue and galvanize a community to take action. Prevention efforts should be designed with sufficient intensity and duration to be effective. Prevention efforts need to match the intensity of the problem and provide continuous focus on the solution to be successful.