Community-based prevention maketing: The next steps in disseminating behavior change

Objectives: To develop and evaluate a new community-based social marketing (CBPM) model. Methods: CBPM is being piloted to prevent the initiation of s moking and alcohol consumption among middle-school students, The project's impact on behavioral outcomes and the community's ability to use CBPM to so lve public health problems are being evaluated. Results: Community members have demonstrated an unexpected level of interest in learning CBPM and appl ying its principles to program planning. Conclusions: Community control of the social marketing process has the potential to enhance program integrati on into existing community structures, making them more effective and susta inable.