Reducing youth alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana use through community-based prevention in Union County, Arkansas - The ACTIVE Coalition, led by SHARE Foundation, serves Union County, Arkansas, a rural community of approximately 38,000 residents. While recent data indicate declines in youth alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana use, these substances remain accessible to youth, and risk factors such as high perceived peer use, inconsistent perception of harm, and continued access contribute to ongoing use. Additional community conditions, including economic challenges, limited access to structured activities, and rural service barriers, further influence youth substance use behaviors. The purpose of this project is to reduce youth alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana use in Union County while strengthening the community’s prevention infrastructure to support sustained, data-driven prevention efforts. The ACTIVE Coalition will coordinate partners across sectors to implement comprehensive prevention strategies that address identified risk factors and strengthen protective factors influencing youth behavior. The project will be guided by the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Framework and the Strategic Prevention Framework, with strategies implemented across the Seven Strategies for Community-Level Change. Methods include strengthening coalition coordination and partner engagement; delivering school and community-based prevention education; building youth skills in decision-making, refusal, and leadership; increasing access to supervised, drug-free activities; supporting families and community connection; reinforcing consistent enforcement of substance use policies; improving environmental conditions through increased supervision and visibility of prevention messaging; and educating stakeholders to support policy awareness and consistency. All strategies are informed by local data, including the Arkansas Prevention Needs Assessment (APNA) Survey, which is used to identify trends, guide strategy selection, and monitor progress. Ongoing evaluation activities include annual review of APNA data and local process measures to assess implementation, track changes in risk and protective factors, and inform continuous program involvement. By September 2027, the project will achieve the following objectives: increase coalition member participation in prevention activities to at least 65%; reduce past 30-day alcohol use among youth from 10% to 9.5%; reduce past 30-day nicotine use from 10% to 9.5%; and reduce past 30-day marijuana use from 6% to 5.5%, as measured by 2025 APNA survey data. The project will also reduce perceived peer substance use, decrease access to substances, and increase perception of harm among youth. Through coordinated, data-driven strategies and strong community collaboration, the ACTIVE Coalition will strengthen prevention capacity and achieve sustained reductions in youth substance use, supporting long-term improvements in youth health and well-being in Union County.
