Drug Abuse in Community: Identifying Risk Factors and Developing Teaching Programs - Essay Sample

Introduction

Drug abuse often results in adverse consequences to the users, families, and more generally, to the community (Das et al., 2016). The teaching module will focus on drug abuse users as the target group within the community. Further drug abuse users in the community will be identified and develop teaching programs that will help in alleviation challenges associated with this community health issue. More often than not, several factors always enhance the risk for an individual to get involved in substance abuse. Notably, some risk factors have proved to be greater than others in different stages of development. The risk factors associated with substance abuse include; early aggressive behavior, drug availability, lack of proper parental supervision, and poverty (Das et al., 2016). The common causes of drug abuse may include lack of established social support structure, childhood trauma, peer pressure, and genetic predisposition to substance abuse. Also, mortality rates associated with substance abuse has been in the upward trend where self-harm, interpersonal violence and drug use disorders have been the primary causes of death among the abusers.

Assessment of Learning Needs

Learning needs assessment always play an integral role in determining the desires of the target group and imparting then with knowledge, skills, and attitude to enable them to reduce their involvement in substance abuse. Relevant information about substance abuse such as prevalence data will be collected and used in designing a learning program to aid in explaining the adverse effects of this community health issue. More importantly, the developmental stages of substance abuse will be assessed to help in the development of better learning programs (Russett & Williams, 2015). Further, the social, emotional state of the substance abuse users will be properly assessed to ensure that vital information regarding their challenges is considered in the formulation of the teaching module. Additionally, an assessment of the community's moral development structure will be conducted. Moreover, special learning needs, such as language barriers and cultural issues, will be considered to ensure that factual information about substance abuse is collected. More importantly, interpersonal learning style will be extensively used for the target group to guarantee the effective collection of relevant information and personal experiences of the substance abuse users (Daley, 2013).

Analysis of Learning Needs

Understandably, the readiness of substance abuse users to participate in the learning process will be assessed through the development of appropriate programs that will illuminate their challenges and the importance of avoiding substance abuse. Further, it will be adequate analysis will be conducted to establish whether substance abuse users within the community have a better understanding of learning needs (Russett & Williams, 2015). Also, substance abuse users will be provided with monetary incentives that will undoubtedly motivate them to get involved in the learning process. Equally important, different learning theories will be analyzed, and the one that will result in effective facilitation o health education will be applied to the target group (Das et al., 2016).

Planning and Evaluation

The behavioral objectives associated with substance abuse will be hinged on their capacity to guarantee effective learning outcomes (Daley, 2013). The behavioral objectives will include; active participation of substance abuse users in the community development projects and to reduce consumption of drugs that will inevitably limit drug addiction within the community.

Objectives Teaching Strategy

Participation in community development projects Using cooperative learning where the target group will be encouraged plan their activities together to enhance their productivity

Reduce consumption of drugs Experiential learning will be applied to enable substance abuse users to practice vital concepts that will limit substance use

Content Outline

• The basic explanation of the effects of drug abuse
• Risk factors that should be observed to reduce substance abuse
• Drug addiction and the need to involve the community in its eradication
• Addressing peer pressure issues among the youth

Implementation of Learning Theory

The behavioral learning theory will be applied in the learning process, where the cause-and-effect relationship between substance abuse behaviors and the resulting consequences will be implemented (Russett & Williams, 2015). Further, the theory will be implemented through the involvement of the target group in the learning programs and improving their understanding of the underlying issues about substance abuse and the potential consequences.

Evaluation

Learning will be evaluated by conducting follow-up procedures to establish whether the learning needs were adequately satisfied. Also, the community will be engaged more frequently to offer much-needed feedback concerning the behavior of substance abuse users after being subjected to the learning process.

Teaching Plan for Health Education Activity

Substance Abuse

The target group is the substance abuse users in the community whose involvement in drugs have resulted in adverse effects in the community

Learning Style

Interpersonal learning style will be used to improve engagement with the target group and illuminate inherent problems associated with substance abuse

Learning Theory

Behaviorism learning theory will be utilized in the learning process where the behavior change among the substance abuse users will be adequately assessed.

Create better understanding of substance abuse Explaining the meaning of substance abuse Using published articles to describe the meaning of substance abuse Asking questions to assess the users' understanding Applied through engagement of the target group

Develop effective learning programs that will illuminate substance abuse problems Creating learning programs Using contemporary techniques to develop learning programs Regular engagement to gauge the effectiveness of the theory Theory applied through giving insight into modern techniques

Reduce consumption of drugs Describe the prevalence of substance abuse in the community Employing cooperative learning to highlight the effects of drugs Conducting interviews to assess the prevalence of substance abuse Applied through identification of the causes of prevalence

Enhance participation in community development activities Highlight community development projects Utilizing experiential learning to enhance drug abusers participation in projects Conducting follow-up to establish whether the learning program helped substance abuse users Applied through involvement of the community in the development of learning programs

Develop proper insight into the need to reduce drug addiction Risk factors and how they can be alleviated Using interpersonal learning to explain the inherent risk factors Assessing the behavioral change in substance abuse users Applied through establishment of behavioral trends of substance abuse users

Annotated Bibliography

Daley, D. C. (2013). Family and Social Aspects of Substance Use Disorders and Treatment. Journal of Food and Drug Analysis, 21(4), S73-S76.

The article focuses on substance abuse and how it brings social, economic, and familial problems, among others. The author emphasizes the effects of substance abuse disorders on the family of the addicts and the necessary treatments that should be employed to address the problems. More significantly, the article stresses the needs to infuse learning programs that would inevitably set substance abuse users in the path of recovery.

Das, J. K., Salam, R. A., Arshad, A., Finkelstein, Y., & Bhutta, Z. A. (2016). Interventions for Adolescent Substance Abuse: An Overview of Systematic Reviews. Journal of Adolescent Health, 59(4), S61-S75.

The article focuses on unhealthy behaviors during adolescence that may pose major challenges to community health. More significantly, the article emphasizes the best learning theory that can be used effectively within the community to alleviate the adverse effects of substance abuse. Additionally, the authors highlight the best interventions and policy initiatives that may enhance the development of learning programs that will reduce drug addiction.

Russett, J. L., & Williams, A. (2015). An Exploration of Substance Abuse Course Offerings for Students in Counselling and Social Work Programs. Substance Abuse, 36(1), 51-58.

The article is premised on education programs that are geared towards the engagement of individuals that are affected by substance abuse. Further, the article emphasizes on different policies and practices that are intended to reduce involvement in substance abuse. Equally important, the authors encourage the infusion of relevant programs that would be instrumental in curbing the adverse effects of drug addiction. Also, the article advocates the training of different professionals to aid in addressing challenges associated with substance abuse within the community.

References

Daley, D. C. (2013). Family and Social Aspects of Substance Use Disorders and Treatment. Journal of Food and Drug Analysis, 21(4), S73-S76.

Das, J. K., Salam, R. A., Arshad, A., Finkelstein, Y., & Bhutta, Z. A. (2016). Interventions for Adolescent Substance Abuse: An Overview of Systematic Reviews. Journal of Adolescent Health, 59(4), S61-S75.

Russett, J. L., & Williams, A. (2015). An Exploration of Substance Abuse Course Offerings for Students in Counselling and Social Work Programs. Substance Abuse, 36(1), 51-58.