Intersectoral Interventions in School to Develop Strategies to Prevent the Use of Alcohol and Other Drugs: A Scoping Review

Abstract

It is important to prioritize intersectoral action at schools to prevent the use of alcohol and other drugs. This strategic act should be organized with multidisciplinary learning characteristics and with the involvement of different stakeholders. The aim of a recent scoping review was to identify the factors that benefit and hinder intersectoral actions at school resulting from the elaboration of policies to prevent drug use. It seems like the research study was a scoping review that used the P-population, C-context, and C-concept structure. The study searched for information in various databases like Embase, Proquest, Lilacs, Medline via Pubmed, PsycInfo, WHO-Iris, and PAHO-Iris on April 17, 2023. According to the results, there were 5 studies that were eligible to answer the research question. One of the advantages of intersectoral actions is the role of schools in creating a support network with different social actors, particularly with family involvement. On the other hand, one of the challenges is inconsistencies in legal regulations, which do not provide enough guidance to schools on how to prevent alcohol and drug use. While public and private schools may be affected differently by social and economic factors, it is essential to invest in developing policies that focus on drug prevention for children and adolescents who are learning in schools.