Jefferson County has long been a quiet, agricultural pass-through for folks traveling through the mountains west of Helena. As metropolitan areas spread in Montana and populations increased, Jefferson County has seen a steady increase in residents from even the 70’s. Virtual work and a desire for space has led many to settle in this area, increasing the county population by over 6%, just since 2018, according to the Census Bureau.
This increase of people inevitably leads to an increase in any number of youth risk factors and makes the work of a local substance use prevention specialist a dynamic undertaking.
There are a number of factors that affect youth substance use, and in Montana, prevention specialists are addressing youth 30-day alcohol use and 30-day marijuana use, which are the incidences of kids who say they use these substances within a 30-day period, through federal support funneled through Montana BHDD. As a data-driven effort, prevention science seeks to address these risk factors with proven strategies and community collaborations. In 2018, there were a number of risk factors identified for Jefferson County youth in regards to substance use and misuse and protective factors to combat them. Those factors were then evaluated during later survey efforts to identify just how much change had occurred through the course of prevention efforts.
