SDOH Lessons from Iceland: Upstream Risk and Protective Factors that Curb Substance Use
In this conversation with Dr Gabriel Kaplan, Professor Alfgeir Kristjansson from West Virginia University’s School of Health Sciences talks about the work of Iceland’s government and a team of researchers to curb youth substance use. 20 years ago, Iceland had among the highest rates of smoking, drug use, and alcohol abuse among high school students of any country in Europe. Dr Kristjansson discusses the comprehensive approach deployed to involve communities, parents, and youth in forging strong family and social connections and pro-social opportunities for young people. Today, Iceland has some of the lowest levels of teen substance use of any industrialized nation.

Alfgeir Kristjansson, PhD
PhD Program Director, Associate Professor, West Virginia University