Society for Prevention Research MAPS III Economic Analysis in Prevention Science

NIH-funded research over the last 25 years has established that early intervention can substantially alter maladaptive developmental trajectories that lead to substance abuse and addiction. These discoveries, in turn, have led to the creation of numerous evidence-based preventive interventions (EBPI) to address this major public health problem. Yet, many such interventions ‘sit on the shelf’ as communities struggle to justify investing in the infrastructure and capacity needed for high-quality prevention programming. Consequently, the field now stands on the cusp of substantially improving how society addresses substance abuse—if communities can first be convinced that EBPIs represent a sound local investment. Until robust evidence demonstrates that allocating scarce resources to these programs is an efficient use of public monies—in that the program’s benefits outweigh their costs—developmentally-based prevention efforts will continue to play a limited role in public health. Further, to be relevant, economic estimates must consider prevention efforts as they operate in everyday service settings, which will require high-quality economic analyses. To carry out such evaluations successfully, prevention scientists will need to augment current research capacity by embracing novel economic methods and perspectives as well as building sustainable collaborations with economists and policy analysts. The aim of this symposium is to discuss the progress of the Society for Prevention Research MAPS III Task Force on Economic Analysis in Prevention Science.