The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #41738

Gary G. Huang, PhD¹, Young-Hee Yoon, PhD², Hsiao-ye Yi, PhD³, Mary C. Dufour, MD⁴, and Chiung M. Chen, MA³. (1) Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc., Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc., 1901 North Moore Street, Suite 900, Arlington, VA 22209, (2) CSR, Inc., Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System, NIAAA/NIH, 2107 Wilson Ave. Suite 1000, Arlington, VA 22201, 703-312-5220, garyh@smdi.com, (3) CSR Inc., Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System, NIAAA/NIH, 2107 Wilson Ave. Suite 1000, Arlington, VA 22201, (4) National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Willco Building, Suite 514, Bethesda, MD 20892-7003

This study examines underage drinking in relation to three state alcohol policies, keg registration, server training, and the privatization of alcohol distribution. The first two policies are expected to have direct bearing on underage drinking, while the last one is an overarching regulation of alcohol availability and is expected to have a broad influence on alcohol consumption, including consumption by youth.

Individual data for youths in grades 9 through 12 from the 1999 national school-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) were merged with state-level policy indicators gathered from various sources. The merged data include, at the individual level, three drinking measures, lifetime drinking, current (past 30 days) drinking, and current episodic heavy drinking, and other demographic variables (age, sex, race, rural/urban residence). At the state level, the merged data include policy indicators of alcohol distribution systems, keg registration, and server training, along with census region and population density. Two-level hierarchical nonlinear modeling was performed to estimate the relationships of the drinking behaviors to predictor variables at both individual and state levels, adjusting for one another.

Server training policy was found to be moderately related to the three underage drinking measures. Controlling for individual demographic and state geographic effects (age, sex, race, rural/urban residence, census region, and population density), youths in states that require or encourage alcohol server training were less likely to drink than their counterparts in states without such policies. The other two state policy indicators were not found to be significantly related to the three underage drinking measures.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of the session, the participants will be able to explore alcohol-related state policies and regulations and assess such policies and regulations in relation to underage drinking with merged data of the 1999 YRBS and state policy indicators.

Keywords: Policy/Policy Development, Alcohol Use

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.