Frequently Asked Questions

Why focus on private companies instead of the entire community like Communities That Care does?

Some communities that don’t have a lot of resources or capacity, so it might be easier to start in just one sector of the community (i.e., the private sector) than in all sectors. Businesses often feel a need to be good corporate citizens and want to show good social responsibility to the community. So, it’s easier to get business to start doing science-based prevention, and that can act as a catalyst for other parts of the community to get involved in the public health.

Is Businesses That Care “evidence-based?”

The BTC prevention system has not been fully tested in a randomized controlled trial, so we would have to say “no.” However, the system is based on the Communities That Care system developed at the University of Washington, which has been evaluated in a community-randomized controlled trial and found to be efficacious in reducing the likelihood of youth alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. We consider BTC to be “evidence-informed.”

Does BTC have to use the Tomando Buenas Decisiones and AHORA programs?

No. We selected TBD and AHORA for Zacatecas because we felt that these programs held the best possible chance for successfully impacting youth alcohol use in the region. The reason for that is because TBD and AHORA were adapted to be sensitive to the culture, values, and norms of the region. We encourage the BTC Prevention Committee to select programs that have the best possible evidence yet are a good fit for the

How do I know if my community is ready to start Businesses That Care?

Assessing community readiness for BTC or any large-scale prevention initiative is an important task. The first place to start is to contact community leaders and check to see if there is general agreement on the problem(s) that need to be addressed, if there is the political will and economic resources to support these efforts, and if there is a spirit of collaboration among the companies in the business sector and among other sectors of the community. There are also some survey instruments that can be helpful in assessing community readiness. Finally, talking with experts and technical assistance providers will go a long way toward determining if the BTC system is right for your community. The AB InBev Foundation can assist with this.