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

Module 1: An Introduction to Environmental Strategies - Page 8 of 21

The Cumulative Effect

Changing the words used to describe a problem may change the way people see a problem. The preferred term in the prevention field is not car "accidents" but car "crashes" to reinforce the role of human behavior.

Some environmental strategies, such as increasing efforts to make sure underage drinking laws are enforced, can have an immediate effect on rates of substance abuse. Other strategies, such as working to alter systems or laws, may involve gradual changes over a long period of time. The beauty of the environmental approach is that it has a cumulative effect. The more an environment changes to support and encourage healthy behavior, the more that the general population makes healthy choices. And in turn, this change in behavior starts to reinforce the prevention message.

The role of environmental strategies is not to negate or diminish individual responsibility for social problems. Rather, they underscore the community-wide nature of alcohol abuse and related problems such as motor vehicle crash injuries and deaths, violent crime, suicide, increased health care costs, and teen pregnancy. These are significant and persistent issues that affect everyone in a community and that demand more than a case-by-case approach. Community-wide efforts that focus on improving the environment affecting people's behavior are more likely to have a real impact on these problems.

For example, in the area of drinking and driving, prevention efforts in the past focused on the small group of so-called "hard-core" drinkers. Stiffer penalties for repeat DWI offenders are one way States have tried to target these individuals. But research has shown that most alcohol-related crashes resulting in injuries and deaths involve moderate "social" drinkers, rather than heavy drinkers. Thus, it is important to change the systems and practices surrounding the way ALL people drink and make decisions about whether or not to drive. ref

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