Environmental Scanning techniques originated in the business world as a way to identify opportunities and challenges both within organizations and in their external competitive environments, providing an evidence-based method for strategic decision-making. Since this framework was first developed, it has been adopted by public health researchers to identify opportunities to improve interventions, guide research priorities, and inform public health policy. This environmental scan will be used to identify potential risks for problem gambling in the community as well as opportunities for CSBs and the DBHDS to improve interventions to prevent the development of gambling disorders.
Purpose of this Guidebook
This guidebook contains instructions on how to plan for and conduct an environmental scan for the Virginia Problem Gambling Prevention Needs Assessment. It contains descriptions and data collection worksheets for the 4 components that make up the environmental scan:
- Brick and Mortar Scan
- Charitable Gaming Scan
- Community Walk Scan
- Passive Media Scan