Since the mid 1980's, there has been an increased emphasis on prevention and health promotion, particularly at the community level. In 1988, the Ontario Ministry of Health published a Framework for the Response to Alcohol and Drug Problems in Ontario (Government of Ontario, 1988). The purpose of this report was to assist local communities to plan and implement health promotion and health recovery programs across the province. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986) supported health promotion goals, and adopted the World Health Organization's definition of health promotion. According to this definition, health is seen not only as the absence of disease, but also as a positive resource that allows people to cope with, adapt to, and influence the pressures of daily living. In addition, the Ministry of Health announced the Provincial Substance Abuse Strategy (1993), outlining a comprehensive approach to addressing substance abuse, with a special emphasis on alcohol abuse. Health promotion was one of the three priority components of the strategy.
Within all of these documents, the focus was not only on health promotion, but also on health promotion at a local and community level. This meant that local communities were being seen as major influences and contributors in promoting better health and healthy lifestyles. Citizens of local communities were seen as being best able to plan and implement health promotion programs and services that suited the needs of the local community. Quite simply, community members know the features of their communities best, and are able to identify needs and implement programs and services which will work best in their community. This focus on community members was an exciting change, with the potential for the creation of strong communities that are able to take local action to prevent alcohol and other substance abuse.
However, prior to taking action on planning health programs and services at the community level, it is important to learn about the community in the broadest sense. Who lives where? What do they do? What is the social, cultural, economic, and demographic make up of the community? What local conditions contribute to alcohol and other drug use? What problems are created by these situations? What are the perceptions of community needs and present services? These are important questions which must be addressed prior to any actual program planning or implementation. In other words, a community based needs assessment is necessary to learn the facts, opinion, and perceptions about the community's strengths, weaknesses, and current needs. The Ignace Community Needs Assessment then, provides the community with information to better plan, develop, and implement programs to reduce alcohol and other drug use / abuse problems, and to enhance the quality of life in the Community.
The respondents' sample was drawn from the telephone listings for the Township of Ignace. Summer Residents, and respondents living outside of the municipality and catchment area were excluded from this sample.
Sample selection for interviewing involved the random selection of households for telephone interviewing. Based on the total number of residential telephone listings for Ignace, a sample was randomly selected, resulting in 448 telephone contacts. Contact numbers were over sampled to account for refusals, numbers that could not be contacted due to disconnections, numbers not in current services, and households where no one was home at the time of contact. The target sample size was 190 completed interviews, approximately 10% of Ignace's population. In order to ensure that all segments of the population were included in the sample, 10% of Ontario Works' clientele were randomly selected using a computer generated random selection procedure. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with this selected sample. Due to an ethnical requirement of the project, all respondents must be over the age of 18.
Overall, 200 respondents completed the questionnaire. One hundred and ninety-one respondents complete telephone surveys, and 9 respondents completed face to face surveys.
Characteristics of Respondents:
- 66% of respondents were female
- 12% of respondents were over the age of 60
- 69% of respondents were married / cohabitating
- 56% of respondents had one or two children
- 44% of respondents did not have children living at home at the time of the survey
- 43% of respondents had completed some level of post-secondary education
- 42% of respondents were employed full time
- 62% of respondent partners were employed full time
- 61% of respondents listed employment as their primary source of income
- 33% of respondents listed "British" as their ethnic background
- 42% of respondents listed "Other" as their ethnic background
- 93% of respondents listed "English" as their primary language
top five community characteristics / features listed by respondents: lack of visible police (71%); alcohol problems (65%); members care about the community (54%); drug problems (50%); poverty / low income (47%).
The community of Ignace has many positive strengths. Community members interviewed clearly selected a number of positive features of the community. Strong community spirit, members caring about the community, and having neighbours who help each other are just some of the positive features expressed. However, it is evident from the needs assessment findings that community members are very concerned about substance use/ abuse. Community respondents stated that substance use was a major concern in their community, particularly alcohol use. Respondents also felt that there were a number of substance related problems in their community, including youth and family problems, unemployment, availability of substances, and a large number of substance users.
Youth, street youth, young adults, and children were the main priority groups identified for alcohol and other drug use prevention activities and programs. While the majority of respondents knew of existing alcohol / drug reduction and healthy lifestyle activities and programs, the majority also stated that additional activities and programs were needed in their community.
The following section presents ideas and plans for turning the information contained in this needs assessment report into action. The success of any action, or any alcohol / drug prevention initiatives has been consistently linked to community awareness, support, and involvement. This is what is needed in Ignace in order to make prevention efforts a success.
Based on the findings reported in the needs assessment, residents of Ignace are aware of alcohol and other drug-related problems in the community. While community members report many positive community strengths, there are also many community concerns. Therefore, it is important that the community residents be given every opportunity to become familiar with the findings in this needs assessment report. Knowledge is the key to action. The needs assessment therefore, must be used to create and increase community awareness, concern, and action. The report and its findings should be available for distribution to various community service groups, organizations and workplaces, and the local media. Other communicators in the community, such as educators, religious leaders, service club executives, employers, health care professionals, police and club leaders should be encouraged to present and discuss the report's findings.
Community members should also be invited and encouraged to participate in the development and delivery of selected community initiatives. Families, schools, and community members at large should be encouraged and assisted in using existing best practices and principles of good health promotion aimed at alcohol and other drug use prevention, and injury prevention.
Working cooperatively together in partnership is important. Community support therefore, should be extended to the C.O.R.E. Program, and initiatives that reflect the needs of the community. Community members can help in planning prior to taking action. In collaboration with the C.O.R.E. Program, it is important to build upon existing programs and services, and identify community needs and groups to receive programs. Programming should be directed at people (to increase knowledge, reinforce or change attitudes, influence behaviour, etc.), their living environment (to reduce availability, provide alternate activities, offer skills training, etc.), and substances (encouraging responsible use, warning labels on medications, etc.). Therefore, a combination of strategies including awareness, education, legislation, and enforcement by various agencies, would be most effective in reducing alcohol / drug use.
For the community of Ignace to be successful in enhancing the quality of life of community members through a reduction of alcohol and other drug-related concerns, community support and active involvement by community leaders, groups, professionals, and members at large is required. Ignace is a community made of care and concern, and as a community of caring individuals, can mobilize and rise to the challenge of reducing community alcohol and drug-related problems.
