Environmental Prevention and Underage Drinking

Kathryn StewartSafety and Policy Analysis International and Prevention Research CenterLafayette, 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)

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1

1.1

1.2

1.3

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Licensed drivers

FARS - alcohol positive

FARS - sober drivers

Reduction in Impaired Driving since Drinking Age Raised in U.S.Drivers 20 and Younger

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

Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility

2003 Report to Congress

The Surgeon General’s Call to Action

To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking 2007

Alcohol is . . .

•easy for youth to access

•prominent in entertainment media

•advertised in venues that reach youth disproportionately

•cheaper than 30-40 years ago

______________

Kids get access from adults in social and retail settings

Focus efforts on adults

and engage entire society

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.

Essential Elements

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 UniversitiesProjectIntegrated 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 ProjectPreventing 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/surveyandcommunity.asp

Training on Environmental Strategies

http://www.udetc.org/Training.htm#Environmental

Publications http://

www.udetc.org/Publications.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.orgSuccess Stories http://www.udetc.org/SuccessStories.asp