Community Substance Use Prevention
Substance use, such as alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, and other drugs among youth in our communities, is a complex problem that requires a complex solution. Substance use prevention strategies have traditionally targeted individual behaviours by providing substance use messaging and education programs to youth. Planet Youth is an upstream prevention approach focusing on changing the environment by reducing the known risk factors and strengthening the known protective factors. This upstream prevention approach reduces or stops substance use problems before they arise. Planet Youth focuses on implementing local data-driven solutions that work to improve the health and well-being of youth that goes far beyond simply reducing substance use.
In late 2023, Elgin County held a community forum to discuss the Planet Youth Model for Substance Prevention. You can view the forum online
What is Upstream Prevention? |
Upstream prevention focuses on addressing the root causes of a health issue. It uses strategies and interventions that enhance protective factors, such as social connectedness and positive social and health outcomes. It also minimizes risk factors and associated negative outcomes, such as substance-related harms.
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Levels of Prevention |
Primary Prevention:The purpose of primary prevention is to prevent a disease from ever occurring. Primary prevention strategies target population is healthy individuals. Secondary Prevention:Secondary prevention emphasizes early disease detection, and its target is healthy-appearing individuals with sub-clinical forms of the disease. Tertiary Prevention:Tertiary prevention targets the treatment of a disease. It is implemented for patients showing symptoms of disease and aims to reduce the severity.
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More about Planet Youth |
Planet Youth, 2023 Planet Youth is not a program—it’s an approach that uses localized data to identify, mobilize and develop local resources and community-driven solutions that promote positive social and environmental changes for long-term, sustainable transformation of substance use rates. The Planet Youth model was pioneered in Iceland over 20 years ago — since then, the youth substance use rate there has gone from 48% to less than 5% in 2017. Some of the successful steps taken in Iceland and other countries include:
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Who is Planet Youth for? |
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Understanding Risk and Protective Factors |