Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc. has received its first Small Business Innovation Research Contract from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The Phase I contract was awarded for the topic “Technological Tools to Facilitate Implementation of Evidence-Based Substance Abuse Prevention Interventions among the Military.” The project aims not only to identify the best practices for evidence-based substance abuse prevention programs, but also to develop and test a tool to implement those practices for military personnel. A functional prototype intervention will be developed using a participatory design approach and tested in a small pilot.
“While many effective, evidence-based substance abuse prevention programs exist in the general population, not all meet the unique needs of military personnel. And even fewer of those programs take advantage of the military’s advanced use of innovative technologies,” stated Kerry E. Evers, PhD., Senior Vice President at Pro-Change and the project lead. The behavioral focus of the project includes tobacco, alcohol, and other substances (including prescription drug abuse). The project will extend its focus to other behaviors that impact on substance abuse and are included in the Total Force Fitness (TFF) paradigm (such as stress management, sleep management, and depression prevention). Through the use of cutting edge science in multiple behavior change, the prototype will address many of those behaviors.
The team will begin the project by conducting an extensive literature search on existing evidence-based prevention interventions and will conduct interviews with expert consultants. This will inform the development of a prototype technological tool which will be tested for feasibility and acceptability in a pilot study. A team of military personnel will be engaged throughout the course of the project to offer their insights on the usability, acceptability, and qualitative reviews of the prototype.
This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHSN271201400023C.