This study deals with drug-consumption prevention programs. It presupposes that in Brazil, mainly during the 90s, important changes occurred in prevention practices. Systematic analysis of scientific production on drug prevention programs may contribute to the evaluation of these practices in favor of both critical analysis as well as the proposition of new projects. The objective of this study was: to select and analyze studies published in Brazil, whose object was drug prevention during the period from 1991 to 2001. Methodology was based on two procedures: 1) a bibliographic survey from on-line data bases, using the key-words drug and prevention; 2) analysis of selected studies according to: type of publication; study objective; theoretical approach and characterization of key elements of the projects. Results revealed that most of the selected studies aimed to orient drug prevention, using an approach that tends to draw closer to the conceptions and strategies of the harm reduction approach in different degrees. The publications that are concerned with the development of projects are mainly from the Rio-São Paulo axis; approximately half utilize epidemiological studies or their own mechanisms of evaluation; most aim at providing information for both students and teachers.
Prevention; drugs; periodicals
