Colleges and Universities

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It is important to choose practices that are likely to achieve desired changes in individual behavior, systems, and environments.  Before adopting a program that may be popular, well-known, or seems promising, campus leaders should determine whether it has strong empirical or theoretical support and addresses the specific problems of students on their own campus.

A thorough review of the research on campus and community interventions will help campuses identify evidence-based programs. The online Best Practices Registry (BPR) administered by SPRC and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention also is a helpful tool. The purpose of the BPR is to identify, review, and disseminate information about best practices, including evidence-based programs, in the field of suicide prevention.

What if research is lacking? An evidence-based program may not exist for certain identified needs, target populations, and/or campus cultural contexts.  A fundamental principle in developing any new program is to base the program content and process on health behavior change theory, which attempts to explain and predict health behaviors.  The Health Education Resource Exchange contains more information on various behavior change theories and models.

Planners might find it helpful to look at what has worked in other areas of campus health promotion, such as the prevention of high-risk alcohol use or violence prevention. Approaches developed in those fields, which often highlight the environment as an influence on individual behavior, can inform mental health promotion and suicide prevention efforts. Programs tested in community settings can also be adapted to the campus environment.