Environmental Strategies for Prevention
A Guide To Helping the Prevention Professional Work Effectively in the Community

Module 1: An Introduction to Environmental Strategies - Page 5 of 21

Individual vs. Environmental

a stylized picture of crossing highway roads that are labeled environmental and individual

Each approach also may involve different sets of players in communicating prevention messages.

Individual prevention approaches generally use existing social mechanisms to reach young people and others at risk, such as youth leaders, teachers, and counselors.

Environmental approaches, on the other hand, focus on norms, regulations, and the availability of drugs. To employ an environmental approach, it's therefore necessary to work closely with an even broader set of community systems, such as:

In summary, individual approaches:

focus on helping people develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to change their behavior.

Whereas environmental approaches:

focus on creating an environment that makes it easier for people to act in healthy ways. ref

Environmental strategies are not intended to replace prevention efforts targeted at individuals. Rather, they are most effective when used in conjunction with individual interventions. The idea of combining environmental strategies with efforts to change individuals' knowledge, attitudes, values, self-concept, and self-esteem is sometimes called the "social ecological" model of prevention. ref

Without the backup of environmental strategies, programs targeting individuals may find their effectiveness undercut by external pressures. For example, youth who have been taught the "life skills" to resist negative influences are better served if society also addresses the glamorization of alcohol use, the accessibility and acceptance of underage drinking, and the shortage of effective penalties for violators. ref

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