Adopting a population-level approach to parenting and family support interventions ☆ Ronald J. Prinz a, ⁎ , Matthew R. Sanders b a Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, United States b University of Queensland, Australia Received 13 November 2006; accepted 8 January 2007 Abstract Evidence-based treatments and preventive interventions in the child and family area have not met with widespread adoption by practitioners. Despite the high prevalence of child behavioral and emotional problems, many parents and families in need are not receiving or participating in services, and when they do, the most efficacious interventions are not what is usually provided. Simultaneously addressing the issues of low penetration and insufficient dissemination of evidence-based programming requires a population approach to parenting and family support and intervention. Process issues are important, particularly in relation to engagement of stakeholders, recruitment of practitioners, consideration of organizational factors, and use of media and communication strategies. This article discusses why there is a need for a population-based approach, provides a framework of how to conceptualize such an approach, and describes an example from our own work of a recently initiated prevention trial that illustrates a population-based approach in action. The rationale, structure, and goals of the Triple P System Population Trial are described in the context of the aforementioned population framework. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Evidence-based intervention; Parenting; Children; Families; Population; Dissemination 1. Introduction In both the prevention and treatment arenas, there is an accelerating emphasis on the promulgation of evidence- based interventions for the problems of children and families (Biglan, Mrazek, Carnine, & Flay, 2003; Kazdin, 1991; Ollendick & King, 2004; Prinz & Connell, 1997). The field of clinical psychology has approached this problem primarily, though not surprisingly, from a clinical perspective focusing on individual children and families. An alternative approach focuses on families from a population and public health perspective. Applying a public health perspective to child and family intervention, a relatively new, innovative, and potentially paradigm-shifting approach is to adopt population-wide strategies that seek to optimize impact and reach larger segments of the child/family population (Sanders, Turner, & Markie-Dadds, 2002; Spoth, Kavanagh, & Dishion, 2002). Clinical Psychology Review xx (2007) xxx – xxx + MODEL CPR-00827; No of Pages 11 ☆ This research was supported by grant funding (U17/CCU422317) from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 803 777 7143; fax: +1 803 777 5502. E-mail address: prinz@sc.edu (R.J. Prinz). 0272-7358/$ - see front matter © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2007.01.005 ARTICLE IN PRESS Please cite this article as: Prinz, R. J., & Sanders, M. R. Adopting a population-level approach to parenting and family support interventions. Clinical Psychology Review (2007), doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2007.01.005