Prevention Strategies
As noted in the
Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking,
“Underage alcohol use is not inevitable, and schools, parents, and other adults
are not powerless to stop it.”
The Resources listed below provide an
overview of prevention approaches that are available to communities and are supported
by evidence. Many of these resources describe
Environmental Prevention. Environmental prevention means changing the environment
in ways that make alcohol less available and appealing to young people. Some goals
of environmental prevention are to change social norms or attitudes relating to
the use of alcohol, to control the availability of alcohol, and to strengthen enforcement
of laws and regulations governing its use. The Websites
below provide additional information on available approaches and their effectiveness.
Resources
The Community Guide
The Guide to Community Preventive Services (The Community Guide) is a resource for
evidence-based findings and recommendations about what works to improve public health.
The reviews found on The Community Guide website systematically assess all available
scientific evidence to determine the effectiveness of population-based public health
interventions. The Community Preventive Services Task Force, an independent, nonfederal
panel, has recommended 8 strategies for the prevention of excessive drinking, including
underage and binge drinking, based on systematic reviews to ensure that practice,
policy, and research funding decisions are informed by the highest quality evidence.
Focus On Prevention
This guide was developed to help a wide range of groups and communities move from
concerns about substance abuse to proven and practical solutions. It is a starting
point that offers brief, practical, and easy-to-read information that is useful
in planning and delivering prevention strategies. (Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2010)
Adolescent
and School Health: School Connectedness
School connectedness—the belief held by students that adults and peers
in the school care about their learning as well as about them as individuals—is
an important protective factor. Research has shown that young people who feel connected
to their school are less likely to engage in many risk behaviors, including alcohol,
tobacco, and drug use, violence, and early sex. This fact sheet describes six strategies
that teachers, administrators, other school staff, and parents can implement to
increase the extent to which students feel connected to school. Links to additional
resources also are provided. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services; updated March 2011)
Preventing Excessive
Alcohol Consumption: Enhanced Enforcement of Laws Prohibiting Sales to Minors
This factsheet about preventing excessive alcohol consumption provides general information
on laws prohibiting sales to minors, and it includes recommendations and results
from a systematic review process on practices and policies related to excessive
alcohol consumption. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services; January 2011)
Application
of Antitrust Principles to Voluntary Industry Efforts to Restrict Marketing to Underage
Drinking
Restrictions in industry self-regulatory codes that are reasonably designed to prevent
the targeting of alcohol advertising to underage persons are unlikely to violate
the antitrust laws. (U.S. Federal Trade Commission; no date)
Problem-Oriented
Guides for Police, Problem-Specific Guides Series No. 27: Underage Drinking
This Problem-Specific Guide summarizes knowledge about how police
can reduce the harm caused by underage drinking. It is intended as a guide to promoting
prevention and to improving the overall response to incidents, not to investigating
offenses or handling specific incidents. (Office of Community Oriented Policing
Services, U.S. Department of Justice; August 2010)
OJJDP in Focus:
Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Program
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention manages the Enforcement
of Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) program, which supports and enhances efforts by
States and local jurisdictions to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors.
The program encourages close partnerships between law enforcement agencies and community
groups involved in preventing and intervening in underage drinking. This publication
describes the EUDL program objectives and provides case examples of local grantee
efforts. (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department
of Justice; October 2009)
Websites
Alcohol Policy Information
System (APIS) Web site
The APIS Web site provides detailed information on 35 alcohol-related policies at
the State and Federal levels. Detailed information by State is available for each
policy. Click on
Highlight on Underage Drinking for an overview of underage drinking in the
United States; alcohol policies affecting drinking by those under age 21, including
enforcement policies affecting businesses; and prevention resources available through
APIS. (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services)
College Drinking:
Changing the Culture
A website of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism that provides
comprehensive research-based information on issues related to alcohol abuse prevention
among college students.
Impaired Driving
Safety Program
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration works to discourage impaired
driving by using a three-pronged strategy: high-visibility law enforcement with
supporting communication campaigns; enhanced prosecution and adjudication; and medical
screening and brief intervention for alcohol abuse problems. (National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation)
"Talk. They Hear
You."
“Talk. They Hear You.” is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s
national media campaign to encourage the parents of 9- to 15-year-olds talk with
their children about alcohol use. Research shows that parents are the most important
influence on a child’s decision to use alcohol or not. Start the Talk is an interactive tool that parents
can use to practice bringing up the topic of alcohol; learn the questions to ask;
and get ideas for keeping the conversation going.
Underage Drinking
Enforcement Training Center
The vision of the Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center is to create healthier
and safer environments in which States, local communities, and Federal entities
engage in environmental prevention and enforcement practices that proactively and
effectively limit youth access to alcohol and significantly reduce harmful consequences
associated with alcohol use by underage youth. (Office of Juvenile Justice for Delinquency
Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice)
We Don’t Serve Teens
Retailers can take steps to reduce teen drinking by making sure they don’t sell
to underage youth. This website offers tips for reducing young people’s access to
alcohol. (Federal Trade Commission)