Publications

Does Availability Increase Teen Drinking?

Restricting access to alcohol is thought to reduce underage drinking. Community policies such as strict enforcement of underage drinking laws and responsible beverage server training have proven effective.  Research has also shown an association between geographic availability of alcohol and consumption. A recent study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation examined whether the frequently advocated strategy of limiting the number or density of alcohol purveyors in a neighborhood further reduces underage drinking.  The study focused on adolescents from 50 California zip codes with varying numbers of alcohol outlets, a range of household income, and where at least 200 14-16 year olds resided.  Only off-premise retail outlets were considered, since few people this young drink in bars, pubs, or restaurants.

The researchers examined whether greater alcohol outlet density is associated with higher levels of youth drinking, elevated levels of excessive youth drinking, and/or encourages the growth of youth drinking. Data were collected via three waves of computer assisted phone interviews in Spanish and English, conducted approximately one year apart. About 300 interviews were completed in each zip code. Off-premise outlet density was determined from license data acquired from the state. In each annual follow-up survey, participants who reported drinking during the previous year were asked about both the frequency of their drinking and any excessive drinking.  They provided the names of five friends who were asked about the participant’s reported drinking.  Individual variables also considered in the analysis were personal income, access to auto, parent drinking, gender, age, and race/ethnicity. Rates of past year drinking were 31%, 45%, and 55% at waves 1, 2, and 3, while 19%, 27%, and 36% reported ever being drunk during those periods. When multi-level analysis considered only zip code area incomes and alcohol density, no significant relationship was found. However, when individual variables were considered, higher levels of drinking and excess drinking were observed in the zip codes with greater alcohol outlet densities. The study suggests that outlet density may play a role in initiation of teenage drinking.

(Chen, M-J, Grube, JW, Gruenewald, PJ: Community alcohol outlet density and underage drinking. Addiction, 105, 270-278, 2010)

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