Effects of a community prevention intervention on public awareness, knowledge, and risk perception of club drug use by youth in Taiwan

This study evaluated the effects of mobilizing community coalitions and implementing prevention intervention concerning public awareness, knowledge, and perception of the risks associated with club drug use by Taiwanese urban youth. A quasi-experimental design was used. Three communities in Taipei city were included in the present study. A total of 328 residents successfully participated in the baseline survey (April 2008), and 276 residents were successfully interviewed for the follow-up survey (September 2008). The generalized estimating equation (GEE) method was used. The percentage of the intervention respondents who reported having seen or heard antidrug messages increased significantly between the time of the baseline survey (63.7%) and the follow-up survey (77.4%), while the percentage of attendance at antidrug events increased from 23.1% to 38.7% during the same time interval. In addition, community knowledge and perception of the problem of club drug use by youth rose significantly between the baseline and the follow-up in the intervention communities. The study's limitations are noted.