Social Host Policies and Underage Drinking Parties

Abstract

Social host policies focused on underage drinking parties are implemented to reduce social availability of alcohol and high-risk drinking by adolescents in private locations. We examined the policies’ relationship with drinking location, peer-group drinking size, heavy episodic drinking, and nonviolent consequences. Cross-sectional data from 11,205, 14–20-year olds, were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Policies were not associated with drinking location, decreased heavy episodic drinking, or nonviolent consequences. However, adolescents from communities with a preexisting policy had lower odds of drinking in large peer groups compared to those from communities without a policy at baseline. Additional research is needed to examine their effectiveness. The study's limitations are noted.

RÉSUMÉ

Politiques d'accueil sociaux et les partis alcool à des mineurs

Les politiques d'accueil social axées sur les fêtes de mineurs avec consommation d'alcool sont mises en œuvre pour réduire la disponibilité sociale de la consommation d'alcool et le haut risque de consommation par les adolescents dans des lieux privés. Nous avons examiné la relation entre les politiques avec l'emplacement des lieux de consommation, la taille des groupes de jeunes consommateurs, la consommation excessive épisodique et les conséquences non-violentes. Les données transversales de 11,205 jeunes agés de14 à 20 ans ont été analysées à l'aide de modèles à multi-niveaux. Les politiques n'ont pas été associées aux lieux de consommation, ni à une diminution de consommation excessive épisodique, ou à des conséquences non-violentes. Cependant, les adolescents issus de communautés avec une politique pré-existante avaient moins de chances de boire dans les grands groupes de pairs comparés à ceux des communautés sans une politique au départ. Des recherches supplémentaires sont nécessaires pour examiner leur efficacité.

RESUMEN

Políticas Sociales y del consumo de alcohol en menores de edad

La póliza social de anfitrión se enfocó en las partes de consumo de alcohol en menores de edad la cual se implementó para reducir la disponibilidad social de consumo de alcohol y consumo excesivo del mismo por adolescentes en localidades privadas. Hemos examinado la relación de póliza con la ubicación del consumo, tamaño de grupo de compañeros, consumo excesivo episódico con no violentas consecuencias. Los datos transversales de 11,205 14–20 años de edad fueron analizados usando un modelo de múltiples niveles. Las pólizas no fueron asociadas con la ubicación de consumo de alcohol, disminución de consumo excesivo episódico, o con no violentas consecuencias. Sin embargo, los adolescentes de comunidades con una póliza preexistente tuvieron menos probabilidades de consumo en grupos grandes de compañeros comparado a aquellos de comunidades que no tuvieron póliza al inicio. Estudios de investigación adicionales son necesarios para examinar su efectividad.

Keywords :

• social host policy
• public policy
• alcohol use
• adolescent
• underage drinking
• social drinking context
• environmental strategy
• heavy episodic drinking

THE AUTHORS

Dr. Kimberly G. Wagoner, Dr. P.H., M.P.H., is a senior research associate in the Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy at Wake Forest School of Medicine, NC, USA. Her research interests are focused on using community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles to design practice-informed interventions to prevent substance abuse among adolescents and young adults. She has considerable experience in the research and evaluation of community-based interventions focused on substance use among adolescents and college students. In addition, she also has extensive experience working with community coalitions and evaluating their capacity and efforts to address substance abuse in their respective communities.

Michael Sparks, M.A., is an alcohol policy specialist and the President of SparksInitiatives, HI, USA. His primary interest is working with communities to use policy to reduce alcohol-related problems. In addition to his work with communities across the country, he currently serves as a consultant to and trainer for the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) Training Institute. He also works with the American Legacy Foundation to implement a model tobacco control program into Head Start agencies in over 10 states. He has expertise in the alcohol policy field as well as in the areas of community building, using local control strategies to manage problematic alcohol and drug environments, the legislative process, and neighborhood revitalization. He has provided training in the areas of community organizing, alcohol policy, using the legislative process to reduce alcohol and other drug problems, neighborhood revitalization, and leadership development.

Dr. Vincent T. Francisco, Ph.D., is an associate professor with the Department of Public Health Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), NC, USA. He is primarily interested in research in community development, especially for the enhancement of community integration and support, and work toward empowerment of marginalized groups. He has considerable experience in the research and evaluation of community-based intervention programs focusing on adolescent development, reduction of risk for HIV/AIDS, teen substance abuse, youth violence, teen parenthood, and chronic/cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. David Wyrick, Ph.D., is an associate professor of Public Health Education with the Department of Public Health Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA. With a deep concern for the community and the welfare of adolescents and young adults, he creates programs and curricula based on findings of prevention research to improve the quality of life for others. He is the principal investigator on an NIH-funded project to develop an optimized AOD prevention program for NCAA student–athletes using the innovative multiphase optimization strategy. He is the founder and president of Prevention Strategies, LLC. He has created web-based programs targeting alcohol and other drugs (College Alc and myPlaybook) that are being used by approximately 150 universities around the country.

Dr. Tracy Nichols, Ph.D., is an associate professor of Public Health Education with the Department of Public Health Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA. She is interested in how the social and environmental contexts of settings affect health practices, particularly among women and adolescent girls. She has studied multiple settings as a context for health promotion interventions, including schools, after-school programs, homeless shelters, and families. Her current interests include expanding knowledge of how both gender-appropriate and transformative interventions can be developed and evaluated within family and community settings.

Dr. Mark Wolfson, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy in the Division of Public Health Sciences at Wake Forest School of Medicine (WFSM), NC, USA. He has extensive experience conducting research on substance use, with a particular focus on the role of community and organizational factors in understanding alcohol and tobacco use by youth. His recent work focuses on (1) the intended and unintended effects of alcohol and tobacco policy and programs, and (2) the interaction of collective action by citizens and professional groups and the work of state actors in shaping public policy on alcohol and tobacco use. He is the executive director of the North Carolina Coalition Initiative (NCCI), and is the principal investigator on several NIH-funded studies.