ArticleAddiction (Abingdon, England)2022
How substance use prevention research gets used in United States federal policy.
Article in Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- SciComm Optimizer for Policy Engagement: a randomized controlled trial of the SCOPE model on state legislators' research use in public discourse.Implementation science : IS · 2023Trial
- Contexts for Scaling Up Evidence-Based Preventive Interventions: Examining Factors That Influence the Likelihood of the Use of Research Language in Substance Use Legislation.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2026Article
- A Mixed-Methods Study of Policymakers' Adoption of AI to Support Use of Research Evidence: Implications for Artificial Intelligence in Prevention Policy.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2026Article
- Use of research evidence in U.S. state child abuse and neglect policies: 2019-2024.Child abuse & neglect · 2026Article
- Use of research evidence in U.S. federal policymaking: A reflexive report on intra-stage mixed methods.Evaluation and program planning · 2024Article
- Integrated Prevention Infrastructure: A Framework for Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Substance Use Policy Making.Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsThe growing body of research evidence on substance use and substance use disorder (SU/SUD) prevention could be leveraged to strengthen the intended impact of policies that address SU/SUD. The aim of the present study was to explore how research was used in United States federal legislation that emphasized SU/SUD prevention.
designUsing a mixed-methods approach, we assessed whether the use of research predicted a bill's legislative progress. We randomly sampled 10 bills that represented different types of research keywords to examine how research was used in these bills, applying content analysis.
settingUnited States Congress. PARTICIPANTS/CASES: Federal legislation introduced between the 101st and the 114th Congresses (1989-2017; n = 1866). MEASUREMENTS: The quantitative outcome measures were bills' likelihood of passing out of committee and being enacted. Qualitative outcomes included the ways research was used in legislation.
findingsBills that used any research language were 2.2 times more likely to pass out of committee (OR = 2.18; 95% CI, 1.75, 2.72) and 82% more likely to be enacted (OR = 1.82; 95% CI, 1.23, 2.69) than bills not using research language. Bills using dissemination words were 57% more likely to pass out of committee (OR = 1.57; CI, 1.08, 2.28) and analysis words were 93% more likely (OR = 1.93; 95% CI, 1.51, 2.47) than bills not using dissemination or analysis words. Research was used to (i) define the problem to justify legislative action, (ii) address the problem by providing funding, and (iii) address the problem through industry regulations. However, there was a lack of research use that targets underlying risk and protective factors.
conclusionsIn the US Congress, substance use and substance use disorder prevention bills that use research language appear to be more likely to progress in the legislative cycle than bills that do not, suggesting that legislation using research may be viewed as more credible.
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Registered trials
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