Implementing a National Alcohol Consumption Prevention Program at the Local Level: What Does Early Evaluation Tell Us?

Abstract

The current Swedish national plan for preventing alcohol consumption-related problems puts greater emphasis on community-level prevention measures. This report describes early results from the implementation of this plan in the county of Västra Götaland, in southwestern Sweden. During 2002–2004 interviews were conducted with the main project representative in each of the county's 49 municipalities. In addition, more extensive data gathering, involving interviews with a broad range of stakeholders and systematic examination of project-related documentation, was undertaken in four representative municipalities. Findings indicated that community alcohol consumption prevention has been strengthened and that the activity level is high in all municipalities, especially in relation to youth. However, problematic alcoholic beverage consumption by adults was rarely targeted; the limited resources were dispersed over too many projects; there was too little collaboration between stakeholding authorities and adherence to evidence-based practice still is lacking.