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Strengthening Prevention Science to Ensure Effectiveness of Intervention in Practice: Setting up an International Agenda

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Defining Prevention Science

Part of the book series: Advances in Prevention Science ((Adv. Prevention Science))

Abstract

Prevention interventions are active tools intervening with psychosocial mechanisms and are capable of positively or negatively changing behavioral and physiological processes. They can thus produce benefits, but also harms, in the target population. In many countries the most diffuse prevention programs have never been evaluated, and their effects are ignored. This has contributed to the perception that prevention is not a science that can be practiced by everybody, despite its good intentions.

This chapter highlights the urgency of moving from this status by fostering prevention science and the diffusion of evidence-based prevention programming. It postulates including in the agenda of prevention science the building of an international system for the approval of prevention interventions, along the lines of the approval systems for medications that exist in the USA and the EU. Fostering prevention science requires an extraordinary commitment and effort and should be based on an international collaboration involving as much as possible researchers and practitioners from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean and around the world.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Translational Medicine, Avogadro University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, 28100, Italy

    Fabrizio Faggiano

  2. Center for Developmental Research, Orebro University, Orebro, Sweden

    Fabrizia Giannotta

  3. School of Public Health, University of Torino, Torino, Italy

    Elias Allara

Authors
  1. Fabrizio Faggiano
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  2. Fabrizia Giannotta
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  3. Elias Allara
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fabrizio Faggiano .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ontario, Ohio, USA

    Zili Sloboda

  2. JBS International, Inc., Rockville, USA

    Hanno Petras

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Faggiano, F., Giannotta, F., Allara, E. (2014). Strengthening Prevention Science to Ensure Effectiveness of Intervention in Practice: Setting up an International Agenda. In: Sloboda, Z., Petras, H. (eds) Defining Prevention Science. Advances in Prevention Science. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7424-2_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7424-2_26

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-7423-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-7424-2

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