Indexes as a Metric for Drug and Alcohol Policy Evaluation and Assessment

Moxham-Hall, Vivienne; Ritter, Alison

doi:10.1002/wmh3.218

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Rather, they determine the level of treatment service provision needed by mapping alcohol and/or illicit drug–related harms. Here, harm indicators (assessed largely through administrative data) serve as proxies for treatment need (Moxham-Hall & Ritter, 2017). For example, the social indicators approach uses a variety of social indicators to predict the need for alcohol and/or drug treatment services (Beshai, 1984; Gregoire, 2002; Sherman et al, 1996).…”

Section: Alternatives To Treatment Needmentioning

confidence: 99%

Key Considerations in Planning for Substance Use Treatment: Estimating Treatment Need and Demand

Ritter

Mellor

Chalmers

et al. 2019

J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs Suppl.

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Objective: Estimates of the extent of treatment need (defined by the presence of a diagnosis for which there is an effective treatment available) and treatment demand (defined as treatment seeking) are essential parts of effective treatment planning, service provision, and treatment funding. This article reviews the existing literature on approaches to estimating need and demand and the use of models to inform such estimation, and then considers the implications for health planners. Method: A thematic review of the literature was undertaken, with a focus on covering the key concepts and research methods that have been used to date. Results: Both need and demand are important estimates in planning for services but contain many difficulties in moving from the theory of measurement to the practicalities of establishing these figures. Furthermore, the simple quantum of need or demand is limited in its usefulness unless it is matched with consideration of different treatment types and their relative intensity, and/or explored as a function of geography and subpopulation. Modeling can assist with establishing more fine-tuned planning estimates, and is able to take into account both client severity and the various treatment types that might be available. Conclusions: Moving from relatively simplistic estimates of need and demand for treatment, this review has shown that although such estimation can inform national or subnational treatment planning, more sophisticated models are required for alcohol and other drug treatment planning. These can help health planners to determine the appropriate amount and mix of treatments for substance use disorders. Objectif : L’estimation de l’ampleur du besoin de traitement, défini par la présence d’un diagnostic pour lequel un traitement efficace est disponible, et la demande de traitement, définie par la recherche de traitement, sont des éléments essentiels à une planification efficace du traitement, à la prestation de service et à son financement. Cet article passe en revue la littérature existante sur les approches pour estimer le besoin et la demande ainsi que l’utilisation de modèles pour documenter une telle estimation, puis considère les implications pour les planificateurs des services de santé. Méthode : Une revue thématique de la littérature a été entreprise en mettant l’accent sur les concepts clés et les méthodes de recherche qui ont été utilisées à ce jour. Résultats : Les estimations des besoins et de la demande sont toutes deux importantes dans la planification des services, mais constituent des défis importants lors du passage de la théorie de la mesure aux aspects plus pratiques de production de ces estimations. Par ailleurs, la simple estimation d’un nombre lié au besoin ou à la demande est limitée, à moins qu’elle ne soit appariée avec différents types de traitement et leur intens...

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Section: Alternatives To Treatment Needmentioning

confidence: 99%

Key Considerations in Planning for Substance Use Treatment: Estimating Treatment Need and Demand

Ritter

Mellor

Chalmers

et al. 2019

J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs Suppl.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Composite indicators can support decision makers by summarizing complex or multidimensional issues in order to provide a big-picture view, benchmark jurisdictions, and identify trends over time (Nardo et al, 2005;Ritter, 2007). The use of composite indicators as a measurement tool in alcohol and drug policy research has been increasing along with a broader trend to use them in other policy areas (Moxham-Hall & Ritter, 2017). Although policymakers have had indices allowing for state-specific comparisons for alcohol-impaired driving during a time when alcohol-impaired driving laws were rapidly strengthening (Fell & Vo as, 2006;Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 2000, 2019, no state-specific measurements have been available to characterize the strength of policy environments for alcohol control more generally.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol Policies in U.S. States, 1999–2018

Blanchette

Lira

Heeren

et al. 2020

J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs

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Objective: U.S. policymakers and public health practitioners lack composite indicators (indices) to assess and compare the restrictiveness of state-level alcohol policy environments, conceptualized as the presence of multiple policies in effect in a particular place and time. The purposes of this study were to characterize the alcohol policy environment in each U.S. state and Washington, DC, in 2018, and to examine changes during the past 20 years. Method: State-specific Alcohol Policy Scale (APS) scores from 1999 to 2018 were based on 29 policies, after weighting each present policy by its efficacy and degree of implementation. Modified APS scores were also calculated on the basis of two sets of mutually exclusive policy subgroups. Results: APS scores in 2018 varied considerably between states, ranging from 25.6 to 67.9 on a theoretical scale of 0 to 100; the median score was 43.5 (based on a 0-100 range), and 43 states had scores less than 50. The median change in state APS scores from 1999 to 2018 was positive (+4.9, range: -7.4 to +10.3), indicating increases in the restrictiveness of policy environments, with decreases in only five states. The increases in APS scores were primarily attributable to the implementation of stronger impaired-driving laws, whereas policies to reduce excessive drinking were unchanged. There was no correlation between states' excessivedrinking policy scores and their impaired-driving scores (r = .05, p = .74). Conclusions: Based on this policy scale, few states have restrictive policy environments. Although states adopted policies targeting impaired driving during the study period, there was no change in policies to reduce excessive drinking.

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The data that we do (not) have: studying drug trafficking and organised crime in Africa

Raineri

Strazzari

2023

Trends Organ Crim

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How do we know what we (claim to) know about Africa's organised crime? Much of our understanding of the phenomenon is filtered through the representation of a growing threat carried out by criminal groups specialized in smuggling and trafficking commodities, who exploit vulnerabilities in state capacity (Interpol 2018). African states are often depicted as weak and possibly prone to criminal capture, thereby offering to sophisticated and powerful criminal cartels a soft belly in terms of interdiction capacity and effectiveness (for example, Naim 2012). The illicit trade of profitable goods and natural resources (timber, diamonds, gold, protected wildlife) typically takes centre-stage, fuelling a narrative that coalesces criminal networks, greedy insurgents and violent entrepreneurs.Within this framework, drugs constitute the quintessential illicit market, one that typically involves domestic and transnational criminal organisations, and armed groups vying for protection and extraction. Law enforcement agencies tend to consider any seizure of drugs as an indication of organised crime activity; the drug metrics that they produce are usually considered sensitive data, and therefore they are not easily accessible to researchers. For reasons that are not difficult to understand, those units that investigate the illicit drug business tend to perceive themselves as the bastions in checking serious crime: so much so that the law enforcement officers employed in 'narcotics units' often exhibit quite distinctive attitudes and special operational protocols. At policy making level, the genealogy of initiatives to counter drug-related crime has typically been presented as a core activity in the fight against organised crime (Nadelman 1990).

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Indexes as a Metric for Drug and Alcohol Policy Evaluation and Assessment

Cited by 6 publications

References 66 publications

Key Considerations in Planning for Substance Use Treatment: Estimating Treatment Need and Demand

Key Considerations in Planning for Substance Use Treatment: Estimating Treatment Need and Demand

Alcohol Policies in U.S. States, 1999–2018

The data that we do (not) have: studying drug trafficking and organised crime in Africa

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