Introduction: Community action research and the prevention of alcohol problems at the local level

Many community action projects from around the world exist to reduce alcoho l problems at the local level. The role of research within this internation al movement is discussed within this introduction for the entire special is sue on community action research in alcohol problem prevention. Previous co mmunity prevention programs have utilized a variety of prevention strategie s: (a) an educational approach which focuses on changing behavior through c hanges in knowledge, attitudes, and information; and (b) an environmental a pproach which focuses on changing behavior through changes in the social an d economic systems within a community. Many projects have used both approac hes. This special issue provides a current overview of many types of commun ity action projects from different countries and summarizes what has been l earned to date from these experiences.