Creating the Scientific Infrastructure for the Promise Neighborhood Initiative

描述(由申请者提供)：这个重大机遇项目将建立基础设施，开始在全国最贫困的社区开展全面预防干预的研究。集中贫困社区是美国毒品滥用、反社会行为、抑郁症、学业失败和代际贫困的主要原因，因此是公共卫生干预的关键目标。最近积累的循证预防干预措施(NRC-IOM，2009年)表明，这些问题的流行率是可以大幅降低的。然而，在我们能够将现有知识转化为高贫困社区的有效干预措施之前，这种变化不会发生。奥巴马政府呼吁实施一项名为“希望邻里”的倡议，在该倡议中，20个高度贫困的社区在实施全面的预防干预措施方面得到帮助。然而，支持这类干预措施并开展评估和完善干预措施所需研究的科学基础设施尚不存在。此外，还可以帮助20多个这样的社区。因此，我们建议创建Promise Neighborhood Consortium，该联盟将发展基础设施，通过该联盟，科学界可以帮助美国高度贫困的社区将现有知识转化为广泛的、多方面的福祉改善，包括预防药物滥用、反社会行为、危险性行为、抑郁症、学业失败以及促进各种形式的亲社会行为和学术成就。预防计划将侧重于促进培育环境，强调对儿童、青年和家庭的影响。该联盟将(A)建立一个由社区和社区领导人和行为科学家组成的网络；(B)确定并开始实施对评估社区预防性干预至关重要的福祉、风险和保护因素的措施；(C)开展关于在高度贫困社区实施循证政策、计划和做法的影响的研究。这些活动将得到一个最先进的网站的支持，该网站将人和组织联系在一起，获取和展示有关社区的数据，传播关于循证干预的信息，倡导在高贫困社区进行研究和干预，并支持在这些社区进行干预研究。该项目将在两年内(A)创建一个高贫困社区网络，通过系统努力实施和评估预防干预措施；(B)在这些社区实施监测系统；(C)发展国家、职业早期和地方社区预防科学家的社区发展能力；(D)对这些社区的干预研究进行实验性评估，以提高减少美国代际贫困的努力的效率和效果。 与公共健康相关：我们计划创建Promise Neighborhood Consortium来开发一个基础设施，通过这个基础设施，科学界可以开展研究，以评估帮助美国最贫困社区的干预措施。利用当前的科学知识，该联盟将帮助这些社区确定防止药物滥用、反社会行为、危险性行为、抑郁和学业失败的方法；促进各种形式的积极行为和学业成就；并对他们试图影响这些结果的策略进行实验评估。预防计划将侧重于促进培育环境，强调对儿童、青年和家庭的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Grand Opportunity project will create the infrastructure to begin research on comprehensive preventive interventions in the nation's highest poverty neighborhoods. Neighborhoods of concentrated poverty are major contributors to the high levels of drug abuse, antisocial behavior, depression, academic failure, and intergenerational poverty in the U.S. and thus are critical targets for public health interventions. The recent accumulation of evidence-based preventive interventions (NRC-IOM, 2009) shows that substantial reductions in the prevalence of these problems are achievable. However, such changes will not occur until we can translate existing knowledge into effective interventions in high-poverty communities. The Obama administration has called for a "Promise Neighborhood" initiative, in which 20 high-poverty neighborhoods receive help in implementing comprehensive preventive interventions. However, the scientific infrastructure to support such interventions and to conduct the research needed to evaluate them and refine them does not yet exist. Additionally, it is possible to assist more than 20 such neighborhoods. We therefore propose to create the Promise Neighborhood Consortium, which will develop the infrastructure through which the scientific community can assist America's high-poverty neighborhoods in translating existing knowledge into widespread, multiple improvements in wellbeing, including the prevention of substance abuse, antisocial behavior, risky sexual behavior, depression, and academic failure and promotion of diverse forms of pro-social behavior and academic achievement. The prevention plan will focus on promotion of nurturing environments, emphasizing impact on children, youth, and families. The Consortium will (a) build a network of neighborhood and community leaders and behavioral scientists; (b) define and begin to implement measures of wellbeing and of risk and protective factors that are fundamental to evaluating preventive intervention in neighborhoods; and (c) develop research on the impact of evidence-based policies, programs, and practices when implemented in high-poverty communities. These activities will be supported by a state-of- the-art website that networks people and organizations, obtains and displays data about neighborhoods, disseminates information about evidence-based interventions, advocates for research and intervention in high- poverty neighborhoods, and supports intervention research in these neighborhoods. Over two years, this project will (a) create a network of high-poverty neighborhoods that will be linked through systematic efforts to implement and evaluate preventive interventions; (b) implement monitoring systems in these neighborhoods; (c) develop the capacity of national, early-career, and local community prevention scientists for neighborhood development; and (d) develop experimental evaluations of intervention research in these neighborhoods to advance the efficiency and effectiveness of efforts to reduce intergenerational poverty in America. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: We plan to create the Promise Neighborhood Consortium to develop an infrastructure through which the scientific community can develop research to evaluate interventions to help America's highest poverty neighborhoods. Using current scientific knowledge, the Consortium will help these neighborhoods identify ways to prevent substance abuse, antisocial behavior, risky sexual behavior, depression, and academic failure; to promote diverse forms of positive behavior and academic achievement; and to conduct experimental evaluations of their strategies for trying to affect these outcomes. The prevention plan will focus on promotion of nurturing environments, emphasizing impact on children, youth, and families.