Completed Projects
Propensity for Obtaining Alcohol through Shoulder Tapping
Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
April 2005 – March 2006
Principal Investigator: Traci Toomey, PhD
Co-Investigator: Darin Erickson, PhD
Reducing youth access to alcohol is a promising approach for preventing alcohol-related problems among youth. Although much is known about youth access to alcohol from commercial sources (e.g., liquor stores), little research has focused on social sources (e.g., friends). The goal of this one-year study was to assess one type of social source of alcohol for youth—adults who agree to purchase alcohol for youth when approached outside alcohol establishments (i.e., shoulder tapping).
Alcohol Outlet Density, Malt Liquor, and Homicide
Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
September 2003 – August 2005
Principal Investigator: Rhonda Jones-Webb, DrPH
Co-Investigators: Peter Hannan, MSStat; Darin Erickson, PhD; Alexander Wagenaar, PhD
The specific objectives of this study were to determine: (1) whether homicide rates are significantly greater in African American than in Hispanic, Asian, or White inner city neighborhoods, (2) whether the availability and promotion of malt liquor are significantly greater in African American than in Hispanic, Asian, or White inner-city neighborhoods, and (3) whether the effect of neighborhood racial/ethnic composition on homicide in African American inner-city neighborhoods is attenuated after adjusting for the alcohol outlet density rates, and the availability and promotion of malt liquor in these neighborhoods.
The study employed an ecologic trend study design and multiple data collection activities to achieve study aims, including archival data from police reports and the U.S. Census, and observations of off-sale alcohol outlets (e.g., liquor stores, convenience stores) and billboards that advertise alcohol. The sample for the study consisted of neighborhoods designated as empowerment zones (EZs) or enterprise communities (ECs) or Enhanced Enterprise Communities (EECs) by the Federal government in 10 U.S. cities including Santa Ana, Oakland, San Francisco, Kansas City (MO), Kansas City (KS), Minneapolis, St. Paul, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Boston.
For photos of examples of alcohol ads in inner cities click here.
A Randomized Trial to Evaluate Project ARM
Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
May 2002 – June 2005
Principal Investigator: Traci Toomey, PhD
Co-Investigators: Darin Erickson, PhD; Cheryl Perry, PhD; Alexander Wagenaar, PhD
The goal of this project was to evaluate the effect of the Alcohol Risk Management (ARM) program on illegal alcohol sales to obviously intoxicated patrons and outlet policies. The ARM program is a four-session training program designed to provide owners and managers of alcohol establishments with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop responsible, outlet-specific alcohol service and promotional policies. By influencing establishment policy, the ARM program attempted to reduce illegal alcohol sales to obviously intoxicated patrons and decrease alcohol promotions that lead to heavy consumption of alcohol, and to ultimately reduce public health problems such as violence Prevention of Illegal Alcohol Sales at Community Events
Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
February 2002 – January 2005
Principal Investigator: Traci Toomey, PhD
Co-Investigators: Darin Erickson, PhD; Alexander Wagenaar, PhD
The goals of this project were to: 1) adapt the Alcohol Risk Management program for festivals and implement the program at four festivals; 2) implement and document the process of a community organizing effort designed to affect policies at four festivals; and 3) assess the relative promise of each type of intervention (i.e., training and organizing) in influencing implementation of alcohol policies and decreasing rates of illegal alcohol sales at festivals. We are currently completing two papers summarizing the results of this study.
Alcohol Sales at Community Festivals
Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
April 2000 – August 2001
Principal Investigator: Traci Toomey, PhD
Co-Investigator: Alexander Wagenaar, PhD
The primary goal of this study was to assess the propensity for alcohol sales to underage and obviously intoxicated customers at community festivals and prevalence of alcohol control policies at these events. A secondary goal was to identify server and festival characteristics and festival policies related to likelihood of illegal alcohol sales.
We conducted pseudo-underage and pseudo-intoxicated purchase attempts at 43 and 50 festivals, respectively, to assess likelihood of illegal sales. Research staff made observations at festivals and contacted festival planners by telephone following each event to assess which alcohol policies were implemented. We conducted multivariate analyses for each purchase attempt outcome to identify policies and characteristics related to likelihood of illegal alcohol sale.
Pseudo-intoxicated buyers purchased beer in 89% of 95 attempts and pseudo-underage buyers were able to purchase beer in 50% of 82 attempts. All festival planners reported having at least two of the 10 alcohol policies we assessed, but no festival had implemented all 10 policies. Server characteristics were not related to either outcome.
In the multivariate analyses, having fewer alcohol control policies was related to a lesser likelihood of illegal sales to intoxicated customers. Restricting number of servings per person per sale and having more alcohol policies were associated with a lesser likelihood of alcohol sales to youth.
Publications
11.6.135 Fletcher LA, Erickson DJ, Toomey TL, Wagenaar AC. Handheld computers: A feasible alternative to paper forms for field data collection. Evaluation Review, 27(2):165-178, 2003 .
11.6.151 Toomey TL, Erickson DJ, Patrek W, Fletcher LA, Wagenaar AC. Illegal alcohol sales and use of alcohol control policies at community festivals. Public Health Reports, 120(2):165-173, 2005.
Effects of Economic Development on Employment, Alcohol Outlet Density, and Homicide
Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
February 2001- January 2005
Principal Investigator: Rhonda Jones-Webb, DrPH
Research Team: Sara Rhode, Lan Pham, Alexander Wagenaar, Sam Myers
The major goals of this project were to 1) evaluate the effects of the EZ/EC initiatives in Oakland, San Francisco, and Santa Ana on employment alcohol outlet density, and homicide from 1993-2002, and (2) investigate whether the effects of the EZ/EC program on employment, alcohol outlet density, and homicide in Oakland and San Francisco differed by funding level. The EZ/EC program was established in 1993 under the Clinton Administration to improve America's most economically depressed cites.
Results were that (a) homicide decreased significantly more in EZ/EC neighborhoods than city-wide. For example, homicide decreased 35 percent in EZ/EC neighborhoods and 5 percent city-wide from 1993-2002, (b) alcohol outlet density increased more in EZ/EC neighborhoods than city-wide, but the differences were not statistically significant, (c) unemployment rates did change significantly after the infusion of EZ/EC funds, and (d) alcohol outlet density and homicide decreased more in San Francisco EZ/EC neighborhoods than in Oakland EZ/EC. Results from this study suggests while economic development activities can decrease crime they may also lead to more alcohol outlets.
Building Community-University Partnerships to Address Health Disparities in Minnesota
Funded by the Allina Foundation
February 2002 – January 2005
Principal Investigator: Kathleen Call, PhD
Co-Investigators: Rhonda Jones-Webb DrPH; Donna McAlpine, PhD
The goal of this project was to develop partnerships among community groups, researchers from the University of Minnesota (UM), and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to address health disparities within the state, including alcohol-related health disparities. The first objective was to build a participatory partnership made up of representatives from community groups, MDH, and the UM. A second objective was to apply a participatory research model in conducting research and monitoring health disparities in the state. Both objectives were achieved. The Participatory Research Partnership currently includes 21 members representing community researchers from the Asian, African-born, American Indian, Hispanic/Latino communities, and staff and faculty from MDH and the UM.
Centers for Excellence in Health Statistics
Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
April 2003 – September 2004
Principal Investigators: John Oswald, PhD; Rhonda Jones-Webb, DrPH
Research Team: Xinhua Yu, Jennifer Obrien, Wendy Hellerstedt,
Melanie Wall, Todd Rockwood, Cynthia Turnure
The major goal of this project is to establish a long term partnership between the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health in developing more advanced statistical methodologies which can be applied to high priority public health issues such as smoking and racial disparities in health status and outcomes.
Publications:
11.6.147 Jones-Webb RJ, Yu X, Obrien J, Hannan P, Wall M., Oswald, J. Does socioeconomic position moderate the effects of race on cardiovascular disease mortality? Ethnicity and Disease, 14(4):489-496, 2004.
Public Opinions on Alcohol Control Policies Among African Americans
Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
August 1998 - July 2000
Principal Investigator: Rhonda Jones-Webb, DrPH
Research Team: Marshall Davis-Henaine, Alexander Wagenaar, John Finnegan, Robert Jeffrey
The primary aims of the Public Opinions on Alcohol Control Policies study were to: (1) measure public attitudes and opinions regarding a wide range of alcohol control policies among the U.S. general population, (2) develop and validate scales for the measurement of alcohol policy opinions in African American and white populations, and (3) examine the potential role of mass media influences on alcohol policy opinions and potential differences in amount and themes of coverage of alcohol policy issues in black-oriented and mainstream newspapers. The research design included three components: a media content analysis of black-oriented and mainstream newspapers, a validation sub-study, and a general population survey that over-sampled African Americans adults. Publications
11.6.93 Jones-Webb RJ, Wagenaar A, Finnegan J. Designing a survey of public opinions regarding alcohol control policies among Black and White adults. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 8:18-24, 1997.
11.6.97 Jones-Webb RJ, Baranowski S, Fan D, Finnegan J, & Wagenaar A. Content analysis of coverage of alcohol-control policy issues in black-oriented and mainstream newspapers in the U.S: 1993 - 1995. Journal of Public Health Policy, 18:49-66, 1997.
Evaluation of the Reducing Underage Drinking through Coalitions Project
Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
February 1997 - August 2004
Principal Investigator: Alexander C. Wagenaar, PhD
Project Director/Co-Investigator: Eileen M. Harwood, PhD
Co-Investigator: Traci L. Toomey, PhD
Evaluation of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's state alcohol coalitions program: Reducing Underage Drinking through Coalitions. Twelve U.S. states and jurisdictions were funded to organize statewide coalitions with objectives to:
- Mobilize a broad base of organized action
- Change the social environment that facilitates underage drinking
- Change policies that affect the accessibility of alcohol to minors
- Reduce drinking behavior and alcohol-related mortality among youth
Evaluation components included:
1. Pre- and post-intervention public opinion surveys assessing attitudes toward specific alcohol control policies
2. Evaluation of the process used in each state to build coalitions and influence changes in the environment that reduce alcohol-related problems
3. Tracking of:
• State-level alcohol legislative policies introduced at coalition sites
• State-level alcohol legislative policies enacted in all U.S. states
• Media coverage of alcohol issues
• Youth drinking behavior
• Youth alcohol-related traffic mortality
Analyses is being completed at the University of Florida, under the direction of Alexander Wagenaar (Wagenaar@ufl.edu).
Publications
11.6.100 Wagenaar AC, Harwood EH, Toomey TL, Denk CE, Zander KM. Public opinion on alcohol policies in the United States: Results from a national survey. Journal of Public Health Policy, 21(3):303-327, 2000.
11.6.127 Latimer WW, Harwood EM, Wagenaar AC, Newcomb MD. Sociodemographic and individual predictors of alcohol policy attitudes: Results from a U.S. probability sample. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 25(4):549-556, 2001.
11.6.129 Wagenaar AC, Denk CE, Hannan PJ, Chen H, Harwood EM. Liability of commercial and social hosts for alcohol-related injuries. Public Opinion Quarterly, 65(3):344-368, 2001.
11.6.131 Latimer WW, Harwood EM, Newcomb M, Wagenaar AC. Measuring public opinion on alcohol policy: A factor analytic study of a U.S. probability sample. Addictive Behaviors, 28:301-313, 2003.
11.6.143 Harwood EM, Bernat DH, Lenk KM, Vasquez MJ, Wagenaar AC. Public opinion in Puerto Rico on alcohol control policies. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 26(4):426-445, 2004.
Epidemiology of Alcohol Problems
Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
1992 - 1995
Principal Investigators: Rhonda Jones-Webb, DrPH; Raul Caetano, MD, MPH, PhD
This study investigated the relationships between race, social class, drinking patterns, and drinking problems among African American, Hispanic, and white adults using data from the National Alcohol Surveys. Findings were that (a) less affluent African American men reported greater numbers of drinking consequences and total drinking problems than less affluent White men, (b) African American men living in poorer neighborhoods were more likely than comparable white and Hispanic men to report greater alcohol-related problems, and (c) African American men who lived in impoverished neighborhoods and who reported one or more alcohol-related problems were significantly more likely than comparable white men to live in census block groups with higher population densities and greater numbers of alcohol outlets.
Publications
11.6.80 Jones-Webb RJ, Hsiao CY, Hannan P. The relationships between socio-economic status and drinking problems among black and white men. Alcoholism: Experimental and Clinical Research, 19:623-627, 1995.
11.6.101 Jones-Webb RJ, Hsiao CY, Hannan P, Caetano, R. Predictors of increasing alcohol-related problems among black and white adults: Results from the 1984 and 1992 National Alcohol Surveys. American Journal of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, 23:281-299, 1997.
11.6.108 Jones-Webb RJ, Snowden L, Herd D, Short B, Hannan P. Alcohol-related problems among Black, Hispanic, and White men: The contribution of neighborhood poverty. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 58:539-545, 1997.
Complying with the Minimum Drinking Age
Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
September 1997 - August 2002
Principal Investigator: Alexander C. Wagenaar, PhD
Project Director/Co-Investigator: Traci L. Toomey, PhD
Co-Investigators: Darin Erickson, PhD; Jean Forster, PhD
The Complying with the Minimum Drinking Age project (CMDA) was a community trial that tested the effects of two interventions designed to reduce alcohol sales to minors:
(1) Training for management of retail alcohol establishments
(2) Enforcement checks of alcohol establishments.
We used a time-series quasi-experimental nested cohort design. We implemented the study in 20 cities in four geographic areas in the U.S. Midwest. The core outcome, propensity for alcohol sales to minors, was directly tested with research staff who attempted to purchase alcohol without showing age identification using a standardized protocol in 602 on-premise and 340 off-premise alcohol establishments. We collected data every other week in all communities over four years.
Mixed-model regression and Box-Jenkins time-series analyses were used to assess short- and long-term establishment-specific and general community-level effects of the two interventions.
Effects of the training intervention were mixed. Specific deterrent effects were observed for enforcement checks, with an immediate 17% reduction in likelihood of sales to minors. These effects decayed entirely within three months in off-premise establishments and to an 8.2% reduction in on-premise establishments. Enforcement checks prevent alcohol sales to minors. Given that enforcement primarily affected specific establishments checked, with limited diffusion to the whole community, all establishments should be checked. The fact that most of the enforcement effect decayed within three months suggest that compliance checks need to be conducted more than once or twice a year.
Publications
11.6.126 Lenk KM, Toomey TL, Wagenaar AC, Bosma LM, Vessey J. Can neighborhood associations be allies in health policy efforts? Political activity among neighborhood associations. Journal of Community Psychology, 30(1):57-68, 2002.
11.6.152 Wagenaar AC, Toomey TL, Erickson DJ. Complying with the Minimum Drinking Age: Effects of enforcement and training interventions. Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research, 29(2):255-262, 2005.
11.6.153 Wagenaar AC, Toomey TL, Erickson DJ. Preventing youth access to alcohol: Outcomes from a multi-community time-series trial. Addiction, 100(3):335-45, 2005.
11.6.154 Fabian LEA, Toomey TL, Mitchell RJ, Erickson DJ, Vessey JT, Wagenaar AC. Do organizations that voluntarily participate in a program differ from non-participating organizations? Evaluation & Program Planning, 28(2):161-165, 2005.
ImpacTeen: Alcohol Component Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
May 1998 – April 2002
Principal Investigator: Alexander C. Wagenaar, PhD
Project Director/Co-Investigator: Eileen M. Harwood, PhD
Co-Investigators: Darin Erickson, PhD; Rhonda Jones-Webb, DrPH; Traci Toomey, PhD
The ImpacTeen Project is a policy research partnership to reduce youth substance use. It is part of the Bridging the Gap Initiative: Research Informing Practice for Healthy Youth Behavior. The aim of ImpacTeen is to evaluate the effects of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug policies on youth substance use and problems. The overall effort is coordinated by the Health Research and Policy Centers at the University Illinois-Chicago. We coordinated the alcohol component of the project from 1998 to 2002.
Publications
11.6.133 Mosher JF, Toomey TL, Good C, Harwood EM, Wagenaar AC. State laws mandating or promoting training programs for alcohol servers and establishment managers: An assessment of statutory and administrative procedures. Journal of Public Health Policy, 23(1):90-113, 2002.
11.6.136 Terry-McElrath YM, Harwood EM, Wagenaar AC, Slater S, Chaloupka FJ, Brewer RD, Naimi TS. Point-of-purchase alcohol marketing and promotion by store type – United States, 2000-2001. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 52(14):310-313, 2003.
11.6.138 Harwood EM, Erickson DJ, Fabian LE, Jones-Webb R, Slater S, Chaloupka FJ. Effects of communities, neighborhoods, and stores on retail pricing and promotion of beer. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 64:720-726, 2003.
11.6.141 Bernat DH, Dunsmuir WTM, Wagenaar AC. Effects of lowering the legal BAC to 0.08 on single-vehicle-nighttime fatal traffic crashes in 19 jurisdictions. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 36(6):1089-97, 2004.
11.6.147 Jones-Webb R, Fabian LEA, Toomey TL, Harwood EM, Wagenaar AC. Fatal injuries associated with alcohol use among youth and adults: 1990-1998. Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 14(1) 41-60, 2004.
Alcohol Epidemiology Program. Alcohol Policies in the United States: Highlights from the 50 states. Minneapolis, MN: 2000.
Alcohol Risk Management I
Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
April 1996 – October 1998
Principal Investigator: Alexander Wagenaar, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator: Traci Toomey, PhD
Co-investigators: Cheryl Perry, PhD; Rhonda Jones-Webb, DrPH; David Murray, PhD
The goal of this project was to develop a four-session, one-on-one training program for owners and managers of bars and restaurants, promoting establishment alcohol control policies. As part of this demonstration project, we found that the ARM program was promising for preventing alcohol sales to obviously intoxicated patrons but not promising for preventing illegal alcohol sales to underage youth.
Publications 11.6.99 Toomey TL, Kilian GR, Gehan JP, Wagenaar AC, Perry CL, Jones-Webb R. Qualitative assessment of responsible alcohol service training programs. Public Health Reports, 113(2): 162-169, 1998.
11.6.117 Toomey TL, Wagenaar AC, Kilian GR, Fitch OB, Rothstein C, Fletcher L. Alcohol sales to pseudo-intoxicated bar patrons. Public Health Reports, July/August, 114(4):337-342, 1999.
11.6. 120 Gehan JP, Toomey TL, Jones-Webb R, Rothstein C, Wagenaar AC. Alcohol outlet workers and managers: Focus groups on responsible service practices. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 44(2):60-71, 1999.
Alcohol Policy Effects on Violence and Injury Mortality Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
January 1995 - May 1999
Principal Investigator: Alexander C. Wagenaar, PhD
Project Director/Co-Investigator: Traci L. Toomey, PhD
Co-Investigator: Eileen Harwood, PhD
Previous studies indicate that alcohol control policies are promising approaches for reducing alcohol-related problems, such as injuries. Based on the extant literature, we selected six types of state-level alcohol control policies to evaluate in two ways - through legal and empirical analyses. The six types of policy changes we evaluated were:
- Excise taxes
- Minimum legal drinking age (MLDA)
- Server training
- Legal blood alcohol content (BAC) levels for adults
- BAC for youth
- Privatization of alcohol distribution systems
For the legal analyses, we evaluated patterns of policy changes across states and assessed sources of policy change information. For the statistical analyses, we analyzed the effects of changes in these policies on alcohol consumption and injury-related deaths across the 50 states from 1968 to 1988.
Categories of injury-related deaths included homicides, suicides, traffic crashes, pedestrian deaths in traffic crashes, drownings, falls, fires, and other injuries.
Using a quasi-experimental design with Box-Jenkins intervention analyses, we generated state-specific estimates for each policy change. Additionally, we calculated effect-size estimates that allow us to compare magnitudes of effect across policies and across outcome measures within policy categories.
Publications
11.6.124 Wagenaar AC, O'Malley P, LaFond C. Lowered legal blood alcohol limits for young drivers: Effects on drinking, driving, and driving-after-drinking behaviors in 30 states. American Journal of Public Health, 91(5):801-804, 2001.
11.6.100 LaFond CL, Toomey TL, Rothstein C, Manning W, Wagenaar AC. Policy evaluation research: Measuring the independent variables. Evaluation Review, 24(1):92-101, 2000.
Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA)
Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
October 1991 - August 1997
Principal Investigator: Alexander C. Wagenaar, PhD
Co-Investigators: Jean L. Forster, PhD; Rhonda Jones-Webb, DrPH
David M. Murray, PhD; Cheryl L Perry, PhD
Traci L. Toomey, PhD; Mark Wolfson, PhD
Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA) was a randomized 15-community trial of a community organizing intervention designed to reduce the accessibility of alcoholic beverages to youth under the legal drinking age.
Data were collected at baseline before random assignment of communities to condition, and again at follow-up after a 2.5 year intervention. Data collection included in-school surveys of twelfth graders, telephone surveys of 18- to 20-year-olds and alcohol merchants, and direct testing of the propensity of alcohol outlets to sell to young buyers.
Analyses were based on mixed-model regression, used the community as the unit of assignment, took into account the nesting of individual respondents or alcohol outlets within each community, and controlled for relevant covariates.
Results indicate that the CMCA intervention affected alcohol merchants and 18- to 20-year-olds, but had little effect on younger adolescents. Alcohol merchants appear to have increased age-identification checking, reduced propensity to sell to minors, and reported more care in limiting access of alcohol to youth. Eighteen- to 20-year-olds reduced their propensity to provide alcohol to other teens, and were less likely to try to buy alcohol, drink in a bar, or consume alcohol.
While many of these effects were not statistically significant, the pattern of consistent effects across multiple outcome measures and across seven communities indicates the observed differences cannot plausibly be attributed to chance.
Publications
11.6.69 Wagenaar AC, Murray DM, Wolfson M, Forster JL, Finnegan JR. Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol: Design of a randomized community trial. Journal of Community Psychology, (CSAP Special Issue):79-101, 1994.
11.6.110 Wagenaar AC, Murray DM, Gehan JP, Wolfson M, Forster JL, Toomey TL, Perry CL. Jones-Webb, R. Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol: Outcomes from a randomized community trial. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 61(1):85-94, 2000.
11.6.112 Wagenaar AC, Gehan JP, Jones-Webb R, Wolfson M, Toomey, TL, Forster, JL, Murray, DM. Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol: Lessons and results from a 15-community randomized trial. Journal of Community Psychology, 27(3):315-326, 1999.
11.6.114 Wagenaar AC, Murray DM, Toomey, TL. Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol: Effects of a randomized trial on arrests and traffic crashes. Addiction, 95(2):209-217, 2000.
|
Return
to: AEP : Division
of Epidemiology : School
of Public Health : U
of M Home
Last
modified on Tuesday October 30 2007