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“Prevention Science to Public Health:
Promoting
Well-Being in the Population”
13th Annual Meeting
Washington, D.C., Hyatt Regency
May 25–27, 2005
Pre-conference Workshops May 24, 2005

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Program Committee of the Society for Prevention Research (SPR) invites submissions for presentations within all content areas of public health, education, human services, criminal justice, and medical science to submit proposals. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to, health promotion, maternal health, infant and child health, mental health/mental disorders, family conflict, substance abuse and addiction (alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs), violence, delinquency, crime, academic failure, dropping-out of school, cardiovascular disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease, unintended pregnancy, unemployment, occupation safety, auto accidents, unintended injury, poverty, welfare, and managed care.

Prevention researchers across international regions, including developed and developing countries, are encouraged to submit. Submissions for presentations may include individual paper and poster presentations, organized paper symposia, organized poster symposia, round-table discussions/scientific dialogue sessions, or technology demonstrations.

Dates and Venue

The meeting will take place from May 25 to May 27, 2005 at the Hyatt Regency Washington. The hotel is located on Capitol Hill at 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW, in the heart of Washington, D.C. and within a short walk to all major attractions, shopping and commerce areas, including the U.S. Capitol, National Mall, Smithsonian Museums, Union Station, and Congressional offices.

Themes

The conference theme, “Prevention Science to Public Health, Promoting Well-Being in the Population,” is meant to be comprehensive.

Special Topic Themes for 2005

Economic & Cost-Utility Analysis
Studies that include short and long-term costs and economic benefits of prevention interventions are rare, yet extremely important to policymakers. Thus, SPR encourages research submissions that include economic analyses and discussions of implications for public policy.

Integrating Biological & Social Factors in Prevention Research
The last decade has seen major breakthroughs in understanding the biological bases of behaviour, especially in behavioural genetics, imaging, and neuroscience. Increasingly, biobehavioral research paradigms must be employed to understand the expression of basic biological processes in everyday life. Prevention researchers must be at the forefront of leading the initiatives for this research.

Promoting Well-Being
Health promotion is not driven by an emphasis on illness, but rather by a focus on the enhancement of well-being. It is provided to individuals, groups, or large populations to enhance competence and self-esteem rather than to intervene to prevent psychological or social problems or mental disorders.

Middle Childhood Development
Research on effective factors and programs for promoting healthy childhood development and well-being and preventing serious social, emotional, physical and cognitive programs in school age children in elementary and middle grades.

Emerging Opportunities for Prevention Research
In addition to emphasizing the conference theme, SPR continues its interest and commitment to the following topic areas of emerging importance that are shaping children and families daily routines, risk factors for behavioural problems, and well-being:
• Monitoring Systems for Youth and Children
• Faith-Based Interventions
• Obesity
• Gambling
• The Internet

Cross-Cutting Thematic Papers

Methods
Using the best available scientific methods, researchers must evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of preventive methods, thus providing more information for community practitioners. Both treatment and prevention research continue to try to recruit competent scientists to their respective fields in the face of inadequately funded training programs.

Cultural Sensitivity
Cultural sensitivity is the awareness of a body of important information relevant to the populations of interest, which should inform the entire research process, from defining the sampling frame, through negotiating access, to actual intervention and dissemination of results. Cultural differences and similarities exist and have an effect on values, learning, and behavior. Research must be sensitive to the health beliefs and behaviors, epidemiology, and treatment efficacy of different population groups. Recognizing health care disparities, functioning within a multicultural framework, and meeting the demands of an increasingly diverse society are priorities for all research .

Epidemiology
Knowing the prevalence of specific problems or disorders, the distribution of risk factors in the population, and shifts in risk factors and the distribution of problems over time is key to designing any effective prevention program. An emphasis on basic behavioural science and epidemiology will remain the basis of strong intervention and prevention programs. Epidemiological studies typically reflect phase 1 and 2 trials in a biomedical model of intervention development.

Etiology
Prevention science includes research that has a high probability of yielding results that will likely be applicable to disease prevention. Basic research efforts generate knowledge that contributes to the development of future preventive efforts. Etiological studies typically reflect Phase 1 trials in a biomedical model.

Efficacy Trials
Efficacy trials demonstrate the “proof of concept” with a specified population under conditions of high quality assurance and strong research designs (typically randomized controlled designs). Efficacy trials answer the basic question of whether there are benefits from a proposed innovation. In a biomedical model of intervention development, these are Phase 3 trials.

Effectiveness Trials
The true test of a prevention program is not the efficacy in the research setting but the effectiveness in the real-life setting with the community in charge of the program. Effectiveness trials involve replicating an efficacious intervention under real world conditions in community settings. There is less quality assurance on an ongoing basis and the outcomes demonstrate the likely impact of an intervention when delivered without the original research team. In a biomedical model, these are Phase 4 trials.

Dissemination
Careful trials to assess which programs would be particularly well suited for dissemination, which individuals would be most likely to benefit, and which disorders are prevented are important steps in program development Almost no interventions have been taken to scale nationally or internationally; dissemination research identifies strategies for taking interventions to scale and identifies potential barriers to dissemination.

Information for Authors

The Community of Science (COS) Web site will be managing our abstract submissions this year. The COS site is available for submissions beginning Wednesday, September 1, 2004 . CLICK HERE to submit your abstract. To facilitate reviews and scheduling, all abstracts will be submitted via the Web site. Special arrangements may be worked out through the SPR administrative office for those unable to access the Internet.

Deadline for Submission
In order to review all submitted work, we ask that all abstracts be submitted no later than 11:59 pm, Eastern Time, Wednesday, October 6, 2004.

Attention: Sumbission deadline extended to October 13,2004!

Author Instructions

Please note that abstract text cannot exceed approximately 400 words, or 2800 characters including spaces.

Abstracts to SPR should focus on the theme of the SPR Annual Meeting and the mission of SPR and may consist of reports of empirical findings, discussions of theoretical, conceptual or methodological issues, and presentations of innovative work in the field of prevention science. Research conducted at all phases of the prevention research cycle are welcomed, including studies of epidemiology, etiology, preventive intervention trials, demonstration projects, policy research, natural experiments, program evaluations, clinical trials, prevention-related basic research, pre-intervention studies, efficacy and effectiveness trials, population trials, and studies of the diffusion/dissemination of science-based prevention.

Researchers, practitioners, and advocates within all content areas of public health, education, human services, criminal justice, and medical science that focus on preventive behavioral interventions, prophylactics, or health policy strategies are welcome to submit on relevant topics, including, but not limited to health promotion, maternal health, infant and child health, mental health/mental disorders, family conflict, substance abuse and addiction (alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs), violence, delinquency, crime, academic failure, dropping-out of school, cardiovascular disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease, unintended pregnancy, unemployment, occupation safety, auto accidents, unintended injury, poverty, welfare, and managed care.

Further, SPR strongly encourages submissions by early career prevention scientists, including graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and researchers who have recently begun to work independently.

One of SPR’s missions is to facilitate the development of more junior prevention scientists. We encourage senior researchers to collaborate with early career researchers and submit linked abstracts for presentations on specific themes or individual projects. These need not be limited to organized paper or poster symposia presentations.

Given the limited time and rooms for oral presentations, we are especially interested in organized paper and poster symposia that include authors from a variety of research groups and from more than one project. The Program Committee also encourages organized paper and poster symposia consisting of several authors from single research studies, such as multi-site and/or longitudinal studies.

We are continuing to accept submissions for organized poster sysmposia which was a new format introduced at the 2004 annual meeting. The organized poster symposium combines the individual interactions of a poster presentation and the extended group discussion opportunities of an organized symposium.

We encourage authors to consider submitting an individual poster presentation. We seek broad participation in the conference, and many individual poster presentations can be accommodated. We will again combine the two evening poster sessions with receptions to enhance camaraderie.

Please note that all submissions must be in English as all presentations will be in English.

ABSTRACT TYPES

Individual Paper Presentation
Abstracts of individual research papers may be submitted for a 15-minute oral presentation. A maximum of three individual papers will be grouped together based on a theme within a 90-minute concurrent session. A volunteer chair will facilitate an extended period of open discussion following the three oral paper presentations.

Individual Poster Presentation
Poster displays allow presenters to discuss their research with interested colleagues during a two-hour block of time. The poster sessions will be held in the early evening along with a reception, and will not compete with any other sessions.

Organized Paper Symposium
An organized paper symposium provides for multiple oral research presentations to be made on a single theme involving a brief introduction by the chair, 3 (maximum) presenters, with one discussant (encouraged, though optional) and open discussion from the floor. Presenters have 15 minutes to present the core content and the discussant has 15 minutes to comment upon the presentations with 30 minutes reserved for interactive discussion, facilitated by the chair, between the presenters and the session audience. An abstract should be submitted that describes the overall symposium, and separate abstracts should be submitted for each proposed presentation (that is, 4 abstracts should be submitted for a symposium with 3 presenters).

Organized Poster Symposium
An organized poster symposium provides for multiple, 4-8 (maximum), poster research presentations to be made on a single theme. Posters will be displayed for a 45-minute period allowing time for presenters to individually discuss their research with the session audience as they move through the posters. 15 minutes is allocated for comments from a discussant (encouraged, though optional) and 30 to 45 minutes (if no discussant) of general discussion, moderated by the chair, between the presenters and the session audience.

Roundtable Discussion/Scientific Dialogue
A roundtable discussion/scientific dialogue (RD/SD) does not present research findings, but rather addresses an area or issue of fundamental importance to the field, in a format that encourages a lively exchange of different points of views. Examples include training and funding opportunities in prevention, priorities in prevention, and advocacy for the use of scientific approaches to prevention. The RD/SD chair and the panel of 3-6 discussants often include members/people outside the research community. The 90-minute RD/SD should include a brief introduction clearly outlining the issues presented by the chair followed by each of the discussants elaborating on their different viewpoints and perspectives on the issue. Then the chair facilitates extended open discussion with the session audience and the discussants. The RD/SD abstract submission should include only one abstract (unlike an organized symposium), which should include the names of the chair and the discussants, an outline of the issue and varying viewpoints and indicate which discussant will be elaborating on each viewpoint.

Technology Demonstration
Abstracts are encouraged that describe prevention-related technology and science-based prevention program materials. A technology demonstration session will be presented during the conference for "hands-on" presentations of technology, such as statistical analysis programs, data collection instruments and techniques, literature search techniques, or science-based prevention curricula. The technology demonstration session will be held in the early evening along with a reception concurrently with the poster sessions.

AUTHOR ROLES

All persons associated with an abstract submission shall be included in the abstract author information. Please select author roles carefully. To maximize participation in oral presentations a limit on a Presenting Author’s abstract submissions has been instituted. Oral presentations are limited to TWO per person, therefore when inviting your presenters for an organized symposium, confirm that they have not already committed to more than one other organized symposium presentation or an individual oral presentation. Chairing a symposium or being a discussant does not count as an oral presentation.

Entered By – This individual is responsible for accurate entering of all abstract information and may or may not be an author or presenter. There is a minimum and maximum of one “Entered By.”

Primary Author – This individual is the primary author of the abstract and/or research paper. The primary author may or may not be a presenting author and may or may not attend the meeting. There is a minimum and maximum of one “Primary Author.”

Presenting Author – This individual is the presenter for oral (both individual papers or within an organized symposium) and poster presentations and technology demonstrations. This individual must attend the meeting. There is a minimum and maximum of one “Presenting Author.” A presenting author is limited to TWO oral presentations in the meeting.

Co-Author – This individual(s) is a co-author on the abstract and/or research paper. Co-authors may or may not attend the meeting. There is no minimum or maximum requirement for “Co-Authors.”

Chair – This individual organizes the symposium, roundtable/scientific discussion or poster symposium. The chair is responsible for coordinating the presenters’ abstracts, selecting the theme for the submission and that the presenters and discussant attend the meeting. The Chair acts as moderator to ensure presenters keep to the 15-minute time limit and to facilitate the open discussion segment of the session. The Chair must attend the meeting. There is a minimum and maximum of one Chair for an organized symposium, roundtable/scientific dialogue and poster symposium.

Discussant – This is an optional role in organized symposia and a role in roundtable discussions/scientific dialogues. Discussants are not expected to give presentations. In an organized symposium a discussant’s role/goal is to identify common themes among the presentations, clarify the “big-picture,” and integrate the research presentations. In a roundtable/scientific discussion a discussant’s role is to elaborate on varying perspectives within the specified area or issue. Discussants are not limited to the number of organized symposia or roundtable/scientific dialogues in which they participate.

Note to all Presenting Authors, Chairs and DiscussantsIf your abstract(s) and session(s) are accepted you are required to register for the meeting.

BASIC COS ABSTRACT SUBMISSION RULES

The direct URL for the Society for Prevention (SPR) COS abstract submission site is http://ams.cos.com/cgi-bin/login?institutionId=32607&meetingId=187 or you can click here to go to the COS Log in Page. Note: you must activate cookies to use the COS site. When you are on the COS site each abstract submission step has its own set of instructions displayed.

It is important to note that throughout the abstract submission process you MUST press the "Acknowledge and Continue" button at the bottom of the page.

STEP BY STEP ABSTRACT SUBMISSION GUIDE

The direct URL is http://ams.cos.com/cgi-bin/login?institutionId=32607&meetingId=187 OR click here to link to the COS Log In Page

Enter your COS username and password.

New to the COS System? Click on the link “Create a New Account

o Another screen will appear, asking you for some information.
o COS will then email you your username and password.

After you log in, you will be taken to the Electronic Submission page.

Click Create/Edit an Abstract to begin the submission process or to edit an abstract that you’ve already started.

The next page, Status of Current Documents page, lists all the abstracts associated with your name. This page will be blank (you will not see any abstracts associated with your name) when you log in for the first time unless someone else has entered an abstract with you as one of the authors.

You can “Create a New Abstract” or “Edit” an existing abstract.

The status (draft, submitted, accepted, rejected) of all your abstracts (if you have already started some) is listed in the table as well.

Step 1: Identify the type of abstract you are submitting. You must select one type of submission, and you cannot change the submission from one type to another once you have made that choice. i.e., you cannot change a submission from a poster to a paper once you have begun.

From here you are taken to the actual submission process. The submission steps are listed on the left-hand side of the screen, and they will automatically be checked off as you complete each step of the submission process. You can go to any step by clicking on it.

Step 2: Author Identification:

Identify authors for each submission.

The screen will allow you to see up to three authors at one time, although you may have to scroll down the screen to see all the information on each author.

You should identify which person listed may edit the submission, and you should identify each person as one of the following:

  • Entered By (the person doing the actual submission)
  • Primary Author
  • Presenting Author
  • Co-author
  • Chair (organized paper and poster symposia and roundtable discussion/scientific dialogue)
  • Discussant (organized paper and poster symposia and roundtable discussion/scientific dialogueEach added person must be identified as one of these author types.

To identify additional authors, you may select to:

  • Find New Author to Add from the SPR/COS Database (information will be entered for you). USE THIS SELECTION TO AVOID ENTERING DUPLICATE RECORDS WITH A MINOR NAME VARIANT FOR AN AUTHOR ALREADY IN THE DATABASE.
  • Add New Author Without Searching (you need to enter author information)
  • Add New Author Without Searching using Address Information from an already identified Author – this option will allow you to automatically fill the affiliation information using one of the already entered author information.
  • Note that additional authors will appear in new columns that appear towards the bottom of the page. After you have clicked to add a new author, scroll down if you cannot see the new author information.

    When you are finished adding authors, click on “Save and Close.”

Step 3: Title and Abstract Text: We strongly urge you to compose your abstract submission electronically before you begin this process, so you may cut and paste text into the appropriate fields. However, please be aware of the following:

  • TEXT CANNOT EXCEED APPROXIMATELY 400 WORDS, OR 2800 CHARACTERS INCLUDING SPACES.
  • Special characters, including mathematical operators such as FIND THESE=, = and ˜, will not be transmitted over the Internet. After you have placed text in the appropriate fields, use the “Special Character” key above the title field to insert special characters. These will be inserted wherever your cursor was on the screen before you selected your special character. You may cut and paste these to anywhere in the text. Be sure to move the following semi-colon as well.
  • You can view your abstract in the format it will appear in the SPR annual meeting printed program by clicking on the "View Program Format" button, right next to the Title field.

Step 4 Abstract Theme: You must select an abstract theme. Only one theme per abstract submission.

Step 5 Key Words: Select as many keywords as apply.

Step 6 AudioVisual Equipment Requests
.
Step 7 Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement (required). Please complete as appropriate for each author.

Step 8 Proofread: You must proofread your submission

Step 9 (optional): Co-author Editing: You may choose to have co-author(s) edit the abstract, to the extent you identified who have the right to do so. Provide co-authors with the tracking ID number to facilitate access.

Step 10 Submit: After proofreading, and editing if necessary, please hit the submit button. Your submission will remain in “draft” status until you, as the entering author, click the “Submit” button. The deadline for submitting is Wednesday, October 6, 2004, at 11:59 PM ET.

How to Enter and Save Data

Open "Submit an Abstract" section on the left by pressing the section title which will change it to bold red text.

  • Enter data and press the "Save" or "Save and Continue" button at the bottom which will save the data for that section
  • Open the next section
  • The abstract will be marked "Draft" if you exit before completing the process

    Press the "Submit" button in the last section if a check mark exists in every section which will change the status of the abstract from "Draft" to "Submitted for Review"

    • All abstracts on which you are an author will be listed and marked either "Draft" or "Submitted for Review" if you login at a later time
    • All abstracts in "Draft" may be edited at any time through 11:59 PM (ET), October 6, 2004.
    • After October 6, 2004, you may review your abstracts but not edit them
    • After October 6, 2004, abstracts marked "Draft" will not be considered for inclusion in the program

Questions

Please don’t hesitate to contact the administrative office with submission questions. Jennifer Lewis will gladly walk you through any of the submission steps. In particular you may benefit from a few minutes of explanation as to how to start the organized symposia submission process.

Society for Prevention Research
7531 Leesburg Pike, Suite 300
Falls Church, VA 22043
703-288-0801
703-288-0802 fax
E-mail: info@preventionresearch.org
Web site: www.preventionresearch.org

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