A system for evaluating local alcohol and drug use prevention initiatives

Local alcohol and drug use prevention in Sweden has witnessed a substantial surge in recent years, with government funding for local coordinators in every municipality. Whether this has contributed to the recent decline in alcohol use among young people is unknown. The ESAPP project evaluates local alcohol and drug prevention in the 18 municipalities that comprise Stockholm. In order to obtain knowledge of prevention activities and their role in outcomes and to stimulate sharing of experiences, a Web-based reporting system was developed in collaboration with the local coordinators. There has been considerable variation in the use of this reporting system and its potential has not been realized.