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How a Prevention Coalition Used NIATx to Boost Parent Participation in Prevention Efforts

Authored By: 
Erin FickerGreat Lakes PTTC Prevention Consultant
Scott GatzkeNIATx Director of Dissemination

Prevention coalitions often face challenges engaging parents in prevention initiatives, even when those efforts address critical issues like youth substance use or mental health. Here's an example of how a fictional coalition decided to take on this challenge by using the NIATx Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) tool. The small, incremental changes they made helped to increase attendance at parent sessions.

The Challenge: Low Attendance at Parent Education Sessions

The coalition initially aimed to draw 15 parents to each meeting, yet attendance was consistently below that goal, averaging only 10 participants. They decided to form a NIATx change team to focus on the parent engagement process.

Using the PDSA for Rapid-Cycle Testing

The change team implemented three PDSA cycles over eight weeks, each focusing on a specific aspect of their meeting process.

Weeks 1-2: Establishing a Baseline

Line graph titled Weeks 1-2: Baseline, showing data increase in attendance from 9 in Week 1 to 10 in Week 2.
  • What they did: Held parent sessions as usual and measured attendance
  • Result: Attendance remained steady at 10 participants
  • What they learned: Continuing the status quo would not draw more parents to the sessions.

Weeks 3–4: PDSA Cycle 1: Send an Email in Advance

Line graph titled Weeks 3-4: PDSA Cycle #1, showing data rising from 9 in Week 1 to 10 in Week 2, peaking at 11 in Week 3, and returning to 10 in Week 4. The baseline is 10, and the goal is 15, with a note to 
“Send an email in advance.”
  • Plan: The team thought sending a reminder email a few days before the meeting might increase attendance.
  • Do: They implemented this change and tracked attendance.
  • Study: Attendance rose slightly but fell short of the goal.
  • Act: The team decided to adapt this change and test it again in cycle 2.

Weeks 5–6: PDSA Cycle 2: Send an Email the Same Day

Line graph titled Weeks 5-6: PDSA Cycle #2, showing an increase from 10 in Week 4 to 13 in Week 5, followed by a drop to 12 in Week 6. The baseline is at 10 and the goal is at 15, with a note to 
“Send an email same day.”
  • Plan: The team suspected that same-day reminders would get parents attention better than those sent a few days in advance.
  • Do: They sent emails the morning of the meeting.
  • Study: Attendance increased further but still fell short of the goal.
  • Act: The team decided to adopt this change and test an additional cycle to try and reach their goal.

Weeks 7–8: PDSA Cycle 3: Move the Meeting Time

Line graph titled Weeks 6-8: PDSA Cycle #3, showing a consistent upward trend from 10 in Week 4 to 13 in Week 5, 16 in Week 7, and 17 in Week 8, surpassing the goal of 15. The baseline is at 10, with a note to “Move meeting time.”
  • Plan: Parent feedback (NIATx Principle 1: Understand and involve the customer) indicated that the meeting time conflicted with parents’ schedules.
  • Do: The team rescheduled the meeting and informed parents via email.
  • Study: Attendance finally met the target, with 15 parents participating.
  • Act: The team decided to adopt the new meeting time and send same-day reminders as standard practice.  

Lessons Learned

Through these iterative cycles, the change team met its goal of 15 participants per meeting. Key lessons:

  1. Start small. Incremental changes, such as adjusting email reminder timing, can produce meaningful results.
  2. Listen to Feedback: Adjusting the meeting times based on parent input made a big difference.
  3. Measure progress: Tracking attendance with each change cycle helped the team identify what worked.

This fictional coalition's success story shows how the NIATx approach can work in prevention. By testing small changes, studying their impact, and revising based on results, coalitions can improve engagement and make a greater impact in their communities.

Are you ready to apply the NIATx approach to your prevention efforts? Start small, stay curious, and let your data guide you to success.

Interested in learning more? Attend the upcoming NIATx Change Leader Academy. While this training does not focus on prevention, it offers an overview of the NIATx approach and tools.   

Sessions: January 23, 30, and February 6 and 13, 2025
10 to 11:30 a.m. CT/11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET

Published:
01/14/2025
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The opinions expressed herein are the views of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), SAMHSA, CSAT or the ATTC Network. No official support or endorsement of DHHS, SAMHSA, or CSAT for the opinions of authors presented in this e-publication is intended or should be inferred.

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