Skip to main content

Sustainability of Community Coalitions: An Evaluation of Communities That Care

Prevention Science volume 6, pages 199–202 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

The relationships between community coalition processes during initial 3-year state seed funding and markers of sustainability post-funding were investigated in 20 Communities That Care (CTC) sites in Pennsylvania. Coalition processes were assessed using interviews with coalition members, ratings from the research team and ratings from state technical consultants. We found members' knowledge of prevention, coalition internal functioning, and fidelity to the CTC model during early coalition functioning predictive of later sustained coalition board activity. Findings suggest domains of early coalition functioning that may be important for understanding and promoting sustainability.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Notes

  1. The intervention is described elsewhere (Fienberg et al., 2004).

  2. Description of scale construction for the independent variables can be found elsewhere (Fienberg et al., 2004). The technical report can be obtained from the second author at mxg47@psu.edu.

  3. Scale level analysis indicate that members' knowledge in selecting empirically based prevention programs is correlated with continuing board activity (r = .65; p < .01). However, a lack of knowledge in identifying risk factors for problem behaviors does not show significant correlation with continuing board activity.

REFERENCES

  • Bracht, N., Finnegan, J. R., Jr., Rissel, C., Weisbrod, R., Gleason, J., Corbett, J., & Veblen-Mortenson, S. (1994). Community ownership and program continuation following a health demonstration project. Health Education Research: Theory and Practice, 9(2), 243–255.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Foster-Fishman, P. G., Berkowitz, S. L., Lounsbury, D. W., Jacobson, S., & Allen, N. A. (2001). Building collaborative capacity in community coalitions: A review and integrative framework. American Journal of Community Psychology, 29(2), 241–261.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, M. E., Greenberg, M. T., & Osgood, D. W. (2004). Readiness, functioning, and effectiveness in community prevention coalitions. American Journal of Community Psychology, 33, 163–176.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, M. E., Greenberg, M. T., & Osgood, D. W. (2004). Technical assistance in prevention programs: Correlates of perceived need in Communities That Care. Evaluation and Program Planning, 27, 263–274

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, M. E., Greenberg, M. T., Osgood, D. W., Anderson, A., & Babinski, L. (2002). The effects of training community leaders in prevention science: Communities That Care in Pennsylvania. Evaluation and Program Planning, 25, 245–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, R. M., McLeroy, K. R., Steckler, A. B., & Hoyle, R. H. (1993). Development of level of institutionalization scales for health promotion programs. Health Education Quarterly, 20(2), 161–178.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harachi, T. W., Ayers, C. D., Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Cushing, J. (1996). Empowering communities to prevent adolescent substance abuse: Process evaluation results from a risk- and protection-focused community mobilization effort. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 16(3), 233–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Arthur, M. W., & Olson, J. J. (1997). Community interventions to reduce risk and enhance protection against antisocial behavior. In D. W. Stoff, J. Breiling, & J. Maser (Eds.), Handbook of antisocial behavior (pp. 365–374). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Associated (1992). Communities That Care: Action for drug prevention. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Arthur, M. W. (2002). Promoting science-based prevention in communities. Addictive Behaviors, 27, 951–976.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McLeroy, K. R., Kegler, M., Steckler, A., Burdine, J. M., & Wisocky, M. (1994). Community coalitions for health promotion: Summary and further reflections. Health Education Research: Theory and Practice, 9, 1–11.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Paine-Andrews, A., Fisher, J. L., Campuzano, M. K., Fawcett, S. B., & Berkley-Patton, J. (2000). Promoting sustainability of community health initiatives: An empirical case study. Health Promotion Practice, 1(3), 248–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollard, J. A., Hawkins, J. D., & Arthur, M. W. (1999). Risk and protection: Are both necessary to understand diverse behavioral outcomes in adolescence? Social Work Research, 23(3), 145–158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swisher, J. D. (2000). Sustainability of prevention. Addictive Behaviors, 25(6), 965–973.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research is supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Commission for Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) to the second author. However, findings and recommendations herein are those of the authors and not official statements of PCCD. We acknowledge the enthusiastic support of Clay R. Yeager, Ruth Williams, Charles Gray, Mary Ann Rhodes, Beverly D. MacKereth, and Henry Sontheimer at PCCD in supporting the vision of this project. We thank Michael J. Rovine and Eric Loken for providing statistical consultation.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, 402 Marion Place, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, United States

    Brendan J. Gomez, Mark T. Greenberg & Mark E. Feinberg

  2. Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, 402 Marion Place, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, United States

    Brendan J. Gomez

Authors
  1. Brendan J. Gomez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mark T. Greenberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mark E. Feinberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brendan J. Gomez.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gomez, B.J., Greenberg, M.T. & Feinberg, M.E. Sustainability of Community Coalitions: An Evaluation of Communities That Care. Prev Sci 6, 199–202 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-005-0003-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-005-0003-4

KEY WORDS:

  • community coalitions
  • sustainability
  • prevention