How international is Prevention Science?

Dominated by work in the USA, Europe and Australia
These regions also have established Prevention Societies (e.g. SPR, EUSPR)
Committed to international collaboration and cooperation within the field
Research infrastructures and intervention development/evaluation are uneven
But also much activity in low/middle income countries
Researchers, non-governmental organisations, international organisations (e.g. UNODC) and government level support to build capacity important

Prevention activities are taking place in many countries.
Across the globe there is acceptance of the idea that prevention and health/wellness promotion are complementary terms.
The educational systems are one of the major contexts where prevention efforts are taking place.
The family is a context to implement prevention. Increasing importance is given to effective parenting, both to prevent problems as well as to enhance health and well-being.
It is widely accepted that prevention programmes should be comprehensive, i.e., address the person, the family, the community (e. g. school) and engage government and political entities to support prevention.
There is wide agreement that cultural adaptation is crucial, no matter how much evidence a prevention programme has already received in other countries/cultural contexts.
There is a growing tendency to develop and implement local prevention programmes, even though there is little or no evidence to support their effectiveness.
In most countries, central governmental contributions to prevention are limited. Most often prevention interventions are supported and implemented by local administration, educational institutions, and NGOs.

Opportunities to:
- Form new collaborations
- Be exposed to new ideas and ways of working
- Learn more about how issues familiar to you operate in unfamiliar settings
Making our own assumptions conscious and explicit
Providing evidence of international collaboration can be good for your career
Benefits for individual researchers should be symbiotic with those for projects and research systems

Materials provided by Amanda Nguyen, Moshe Israelashvili and Jeremy Segrott