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Intervening with Practitioners to Improve the Quality of Prevention: One-Year Findings from a Randomized Trial of Assets-Getting To Outcomes

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Abstract

There continues to be a gap in prevention outcomes achieved in research trials versus those achieved in “real-world” practice. This article reports interim findings from a randomized controlled trial evaluating Assets-Getting To Outcomes (AGTO), a two-year intervention designed to build prevention practitioners’ capacity to implement positive youth development–oriented practices in 12 community coalitions in Maine. A survey of coalition members was used to assess change on individual practitioners’ prevention capacity between baseline and one year later. Structured interviews with 32 program directors (16 in the intervention group and 16 in the control group) were used to assess changes in programs’ prevention practices during the same time period. Change in prevention capacity over time did not differ significantly between the intervention and control groups. However, in secondary analyses of only those assigned to the AGTO intervention, users showed greater improvement in their self-efficacy to conduct Assets–based programming and increases in the frequency with which they engaged in AGTO behaviors, whereas among non-users, self-efficacy to conduct Assets–based programming declined. Interview ratings showed improvement in several key areas of performance among intervention programs. Improvement was associated with the number of technical assistance hours received. These results suggest that, after one year, AGTO is beginning to improve the capacity of community practitioners who make use of it.

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Notes

  1. “Getting To Outcomes” and “GTO” are trademarks registered by the University of South Carolina and the RAND Corporation.

  2. “Developmental Assets” is a trademark registered by the Search Institute.

  3. Of the 60 programs initially randomized, nine folded between the time the study was planned and begun, leaving only 51 programs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. RAND Corporation, 4570 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Matthew Chinman, Joie Acosta, Patricia Ebener, Q. Burkhart, Susan M. Paddock, Sarah Hunter & Andrea Phillips

  2. University of South Carolina, Barnwell College, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Patrick S. Malone

  3. Vision Training Associates, PO Box 338, Gorham, ME, 04038-0338, USA

    Michael Clifford, Tim Duffey & Margaret Jones

  4. University of Southern Maine, 45 Commerce Drive, Suite 11, Portland, ME, 04330, USA

    Michel Lahti

  5. Spurwink, 899 Riverside St., Portland, ME, 04103, USA

    Maryann Corsello & Susan Savell

  6. Search Institute, The Banks Building, 615 First Avenue NE, Suite 125, Minneapolis, MN, 55413, USA

    Peter C. Scales & Nancy Tellett-Royce

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  1. Matthew Chinman
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  2. Joie Acosta
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  3. Patricia Ebener
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  9. Tim Duffey
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  10. Sarah Hunter
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Correspondence to Matthew Chinman.

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Chinman, M., Acosta, J., Ebener, P. et al. Intervening with Practitioners to Improve the Quality of Prevention: One-Year Findings from a Randomized Trial of Assets-Getting To Outcomes. J Primary Prevent 34, 173–191 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-013-0302-7

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