What aspect of a substance abuse prevention program can be evaluated by assessing changes in community laws?

Evaluating changes in community laws as part of a substance abuse prevention program aligns with impact evaluation. This type of evaluation focuses on understanding the broader effects of the program on the community and the surrounding environment, including legal and policy changes.

Impact evaluations are concerned with measuring the long-term outcomes and societal effects that result from the program. When assessing changes in laws, one is looking at how the program has influenced legislative measures, which indicates the program’s effectiveness in creating systemic changes to support substance abuse prevention.

In contrast, process evaluation examines the implementation of the program and whether it is being executed as planned, while outcome evaluation looks at the short-term results or immediate effects of the program on specific target populations. Formative evaluation is conducted during the development of a program to help refine and improve it before full implementation. Therefore, when assessing community laws, the goal is to evaluate the longer-term impacts, making impact evaluation the most relevant approach.