I am a UAE national who studied Public Health at Abu Dhabi University, graduating in 2020. I joined the National Rehabilitation Center Abu Dhabi as a Research Assistant in 2021. During my course I developed a particular interest in substance use prevention and treatment and did an internship in the Public Health and Research Section at the NRC. Currently I am developing my research skills working on a range of projects at the NRC including, health consequences of substance use, family involvement, stigma and behavioural addictions.
Abstract
Evaluation of: Overview Training on the Universal Prevention Curriculum for Substance Use (UPC) for Senior Managers and Trainers
In May 2021, The NRC conducted an overview training on the Universal Prevention Curriculum (UPC) for senior managers and trainers. The UPC training aimed to provide participants with the basic knowledge on the different UPC topics and modules to help future implementation of substance use prevention programs, particularly to identify appropriate individuals to train in the key modules. The aim of this evaluation was to assess the progress and impact of the UPC overview training; while also identifying barriers and facilitators to implementation, as perceived by the participants. The evaluation also included participants from different countries in various specialties. Upon gaining ethical approval, participants were contacted to schedule one-on-one Interviews via an online platform. Data collection and analysis revealed common themes that emerged amongst the participants. These included, the importance of designing culturally appropriate family-based interventions and the need to create multidisciplinary teams in substance use prevention. Such an approach would help in both utilizing the existing knowledge of these professionals along with providing them with the applicable training targeting the intended levels of prevention. Participants also shared their thoughts on how to better conduct future training programs and what challenges they faced in the training. Significant findings from this evaluation will be presented.