Transcript Slide 1
Environmental Prevention
and Underage Drinking
Kathryn Stewart
Safety and Policy Analysis International and Prevention
Research Center
Lafayette, California
MADD National Conference, September 2012
Age 21 Laws have been
effective!
Effects of Age 21 Laws
Reduction in alcohol
consumption
Reduction in drinking driver
fatal crashes
Reduction in alcohol-related
homicides, suicides,
unintentional injuries
Evidence of MLDA 21 Law
Effectiveness
Drinking Drivers Over Age 21 involved in fatal
crashes: the decrease since1982
-33%
Drinking Drivers Under Age 21 involved in fatal
crashes: the decrease since1982
-62%
MLDA 21 accounted for much of the difference
(Hedlund, et al., 2001)
Reduction in Impaired Driving since
Drinking Age Raised in U.S.
Drivers 20 and Younger
FARS - sober drivers
Licensed drivers
FARS - alcohol
positive
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
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1987
1986
1985
1984
1983
1982
1.3
1.2
1.1
1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
Percent of 15-16 Year Olds Reporting Drinking in the
Past 30 Days
Percent of 15-16 Year Olds Reporting
Intoxication in the Last 30 Days
Alcohol kills 4X more kids
under 21 than all illegal drugs
combined.
ALCOHOL: #1 Problem and Choice of Drug in the
United States
“Each day, more
than 7,000 kids in
the United States
under age 16 take
their first drink”
(IOM Report, 2004)
Most kids drink to
get drunk,
consuming four to five
drinks at one time.
(NIAAA, 2006)
Recent Attention: Surgeon General’s Call to
Action
Alcohol is . . .
•easy for youth to
access
•prominent in
entertainment media
•advertised in venues
that reach youth
disproportionately
Focus efforts on adults
and engage
entire society
•cheaper than 30-40
years ago
______________
Kids get access from
adults in social and
Reducing
Underage Drinking:
retail
settings
A Collective Responsibility
2003 Report to Congress
The Surgeon General’s Call to Action
To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking 2007
Underage Drinking in America
http://faceproject.org/
Underage Drinking is Not an
Underage Problem
Youth usually obtain alcohol – either directly or indirectly
– from adults. Efforts to reduce underage drinking,
therefore, need to focus on adults and must engage
the society at large.”
Institute of Medicine, National Research Council of the
National Academies
(2003)
Environmental
Prevention
Creating an
environment in
which it is harder
to make the
wrong choice and
easier to make
the right choice.
Environmental
prevention removes
focus from individual
behavior and works to
change the larger
environment.
Prevention Strategies
Individual
Focus on behavior
change
Focus on the
individual and
alcohol problems
Focus on short
term: program
development
Environmental
Focus on population
level change
Focus on social,
political, legal
context of alcohol
problems
Focus on long term:
policy development
Assumption:
Changing environmental
contributors to alcohol problems
will change individual behavior.
Environmental
change
activity
Change in
environment
Change in
individuals
Essential Elements
Policy
Public
Support
Enforcement
Environmental Strategies
Advantages:
Effective and Efficient
Immediate
Results
Inherently Sustainable
Environmental Change Strategies
Changes community standards
Policy-oriented
Involves adult and youth participation
Involves partnership with
enforcement
Addresses physical, social, political,
legal, and economic factors
Environmental Approaches to
Limitations On Underage Access
Limitations
on Access
•Enforce minimum age
purchase laws:
-aimed at retailers
-aimed at adults
-aimed at youth
•Strengthen minimum age
purchase laws
•Reduce social availability
•Reduce overall community
availability of alcohol
Environmental Problems:
Colleges
Each Year College Drinking Causes:
1,825 students deaths
599,000 unintentional injuries
696,000 assaults
-97,000 sexual assaults
3,360,000 students drive under the influence
(Hingson et al, 2009)
2nd hand effects by drinking peers
(Wechsler et al, 2002)
31% met criteria for alcohol abuse
(Knight et al, 2002)
$68 billion social cost for underage drinking
(PIRE 2009)
Problems in College Environment
Too much free time (e.g., no classes on
Fridays!)
Belief that underage and binge drinking is a
normal part of college life
Alcohol is available and inexpensive
Alcohol is highly promoted to students
Laws and policies are inconsistently
enforced
Safer California Universities
Project
Integrated Intervention Strategies
Nuisance party enforcement operations for
disruptive parties
Minor decoy operations to prevent sales of
alcohol to minors
Driving-under-the-influence checkpoints
Social host ordinances that held hosts
responsible for nuisance parties
Campus and local media coverage to
maximize visibility
Outcomes
Likelihood of getting drunk at bars or
restaurants much less.
Likelihood of getting drunk at off
campus parties much less.
Overall likelihood of getting drunk at
any location much less.
In addition…
No Displacement
The Border Project
Preventing alcohol-related problems
at the US/Mexico Border
The Problem
Mexico’s drinking age is 18
Some border towns provided
plentiful, cheap sources of alcohol
Young people traveled to Mexico to
drink
Beverage service not always
“responsible”
The Problem
Mexico’s drinking age is 18
Some border towns provided plentiful,
cheap sources of alcohol
Young people traveled to Mexico to drink
Beverage service not always “responsible”
Heavy drinking occurred
Sometimes resulted in problems, including
impaired driving on the way home
The Implementation Strategy
The nature and scope of the problem
were explained to groups and
agencies on both sides of the border
Media advocacy brought the problem
to the attention of the public through
compelling news coverage
The Change Strategies
Earlier bar closings
Stepped up DUI enforcement efforts
on the US side of the border
Highly publicized enforcement of laws
against crossing by youth under 18
New restrictions on Marines from
Camp Pendleton
The Results
Dramatic decline in number of
nighttime crossings by young people
Reduction in nighttime crashes
involving drivers under 18
90% reduction in number of Marines
driving back from the border
Reducing Youth Access to
Alcohol in Oregon:
Integrated Environmental
Approaches
Reward and Reminder Program
Minor Decoy Operations
Shoulder Tap Operations
Party Patrols
Traffic Surveillance
Media Advocacy
Reward & Reminder
Community Outcomes
Reduced sales of alcohol to minors
Reduced drinking and binge drinking
among high school students in
communities with the most vigorous
enforcement efforts
Changed community attitudes and
culture
Conclusions
Communities can create environments that
reduce alcohol related problems through:
Understanding the nature of the problems
Development of appropriate policies
Strategic use of law enforcement resources
Strategic use of community awareness
Important Lesson
Kids are creative about finding
sources of alcohol
But. . . .
They don’t have to be creative
If they can just walk into a store and
buy it.
“Mountain of Beer”
Focus on Enforcement
Partnership
between law
enforcement
and the
community
Compliance checks
Are the essential element in every
community environmental strategy
www.resources.prev.org
Resources
Survey and
Assessment Tools
http://www.udetc.org/s
urveyandcommunity.as
p
Training on
Environmental
Strategies
http://www.udetc.org/T
raining.htm#Environme
ntal
Publications
http://www.udetc.org/P
ublications.htm
Resources
National Electronic Seminars
http://www.udetc.org/audioconfpast.asp
Technical Assistance
• http://www.udetc.org/TechnicalAssistance.htm
Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center
http://www.udetc.org
Success Stories
http://www.udetc.org/SuccessStories.asp