Oklahoma Prevention Needs Assessment

The Oklahoma Prevention Needs Assessment (OPNA) is a biennial statewide student survey measuring risk and protective factors. Risk and protective factors are attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that research has shown to be highly correlated with behavioral health problems such as substance abuse.  The OPNA is sponsored in even-numbered years by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in cooperation with the State Departments of Education and Health.  6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th-grade students comprise the survey base, and they are drawn from participating public, private, and charter schools. Both school and student participation are voluntary.  Parent permission is a prerequisite to student participation.

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The OPNA has proven a vital source of information for prevention providers.  Because OPNA reports can be generated by region, county, zip code, school district, or by the individual school (a capability no other Oklahoma survey offers), they allow concerned parties to tailor their prevention efforts to the needs of specific populations; to see how existing efforts are working, and to allocate resources responsively.  The OPNA also helps ensure that the state and participating regions and counties maintain important prevention funding and that agencies engaging in competitive fund processes (e.g., grant writing) have access to needed data.