Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
June 2009 - May 2011

Principal Investigator: Traci Toomey, PhD
Co-Investigators: Bradley Carlin, PhD; Darin Erickson, PhD; Eileen Harwood, PhD

The goal of this two-year study is to evaluate whether the density of alcohol establishments is related to alcohol-related crime and whether the presence of other physical structures (e.g., non-alcohol businesses, parks) and levels of neighborhood activism moderate this effect. In one Midwestern city we will assess whether: (1) densities of different types of alcohol establishments are positively related to a wide range of alcohol-related crimes; (2) densities of non-alcohol businesses and other neighborhood physical structures (i.e., parks, schools, and religious institutions), and levels of neighborhood activism are associated with crime rates; and (3) these neighborhood structures and activism moderate the observed associations between densities of alcohol establishments and different types of crime.

Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
September 2007 - June 2010

Principal Investigator: Traci Toomey, PhD
Co-Investigators:Toben Nelson, ScD; Darin Erickson, PhD; Ken Winters, PhD

This two-year study focuses on post-secondary educational systems and their capacity to implement comprehensive alcohol screening and treatment/intervention programs and policies for their students. The primary focus is to assess quality of programs and policies and comprehensiveness of systems of alcohol programs and policies, as well as potential barriers to increasing the availability and quality of these policies and services.

Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
September 2007 - August 2010

Principal Investigator: Rhonda Jones-Webb, PhD
Co-Investigator: Traci Toomey, PhD

This three-year study has three primary objectives:
(1) Determine whether the sale and consumption of malt liquor is perceived as a problem by city officials and document what has been done at the local level to restrict it.
(2) Compare six cities’ efforts to adopt policies to restrict malt liquor sales and determine what factors were critical to their success or failure.
(3) Create a national database that provides summaries of key features of local policies that have been successfully adopted to restrict malt liquor sales.

Spatial and Temporal Effects of Alcohol Compliance Checks

Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
September 2009 - August 2011

Principal Investigator: Darin Erickson, PhD
Co-Investigators: Bradley Carlin, PhD; Traci Toomey, PhD; Alexander Wagenaar, PhD

The overall goal of this project is to assess whether a pattern of law enforcement
compliance checks exists that maximizes effects of the checks for reducing illegal alcohol sales to underage youth. We will assess effects of the temporal frequency of compliance checks (e.g., every 2 months, every 6 months), the spatial frequency of compliance checks (e.g., every establishment, one establishment per block), as well as a possible interaction between the two (e.g., every establishment at least once a year with a nearby establishment every three months).

A Comprehensive Analysis of State Alcohol Policy Environment and Its Effects

Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
September 2009 -August 2013

Principal Investigator: Darin Erickson, PhD
Co-Investigator: Traci Toomey, PhD; Toben Nelson, ScD; Rhonda Jones-Webb, PhD

This four-year study has four specific aims:
(1) Develop a measure of the strength of specific alcohol control policies across states.
(2) Measure the state alcohol policy environment using latent variable analyses.
(3) Assess level of enforcement of alcohol policies within each state.
(4) Assess the relationships between the alcohol policy environment and related consequences including alcohol consumption, traffic crash mortality and several other specific types of injury-related deaths, and assess how enforcement levels influence these relationships.

• Density of Alcohol Outlets and Crime
  
  
• Alcohol Systems at Post-Secondary Institutions
  
  
• Policies to Restrict High Alcohol Content Beverages
  
  


• Effects of Alcohol Compliance Checks
  
  
• Analysis of State Alcohol Policy Environment and Its Effects