The ICEC Cluster Trial: Integrated Community Engagement Collaborative for Youth Substance Use Prevention in Rural America

This study will evaluate whether the Integrated Community Engagement (ICE) Collaborative can help prevent alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use among youth living in rural communities. The study is coordinated through the West Virginia University Prevention Research Center and will be conducted in participating public schools and County Prevention Coalitions located in up to 36 rural counties in West Virginia. Students in grades 7 through 12 at participating public schools will complete confidential online surveys once each year for four years. The surveys will assess alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, as well as family, peer, school, and community factors that may increase or decrease the risk of substance use. All participating counties will receive reports summarizing these survey results at the school and county levels. Counties will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Counties in the intervention group will receive support from trained Network Coordinators who will work with local County Prevention Coalitions to review community data, engage local stakeholders, develop action plans, strengthen prevention efforts, and support implementation of community-selected prevention strategies. Counties in the comparison group will receive survey reports but will not receive this implementation support. The researchers will compare the two groups to determine whether the ICE Collaborative reduces youth alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and improves community factors that support healthy youth development. The study will also evaluate whether the intervention strengthens community prevention coalitions, stakeholder engagement, resource development, and implementation of prevention programs and policies

Inclusion Criteria: * Student Participants * Enrolled in grades 7 through 12 at a participating public school in a participating West Virginia county. * Able to complete a confidential online survey during school hours. * Parent or guardian has not opted the student out of participation. * Student provides assent to participate. * Adult Coalition Participants * Member of a participating County Prevention Coalition, implementation network, or stakeholder group. * Participates in coalition planning, implementation, evaluation, or prevention activities. * Able to complete coalition assessment questionnaires. * Provides informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Student Participants * Not enrolled in grades 7 through 12 at a participating public school. * Attends a school in a non-participating county. * Parent or guardian opts the student out of participation. * Student declines assent or participation. * Adult Coalition Participants * Not affiliated with a participating coalition or implementation network. * Declines informed consent. * Unable to complete coalition assessment procedures.