A survey of parent attitudes and practices regarding underage drinking

Health Educator, 2010

Abstract: Underage drinking is a widespread national problem that requires continuous attention from different agencies and groups in the community. This project was funded by a 50-member local coalition that included groups such as researchers, faith-based ...

Annual proceedings / Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine. Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, 2007

The minimum legal drinking age 21 (MLDA 21) legislation in the United States (U.S.) has been documented as one of the most effective public health measures adopted in recent times. This study reports on an effort to evaluate and interrelate a basic set of 16 laws directed at younger than age 21 youth that are designed to (a) control the sales of alcohol to youth, (b) prevent possession and consumption of alcohol by youth, and (c) prevent alcohol impaired driving by those younger than age 21. The first objective of this study was to determine whether there was any relationship between the existence and strength of the various underage drinking laws in a State and the percentage of younger than age 21 drivers involved in fatal crashes who were drinking. After controlling for various factors, the only significant finding that emerged was for the existence and strength of the law making it illegal for an underage person to use fake identification ( p <0.016). The second objective was...

BMC Public Health, 2013

Background: Developing timely and effective strategies for preventing alcohol misuse in young people is required in order to prevent related harms since, worldwide, alcohol consumption was associated with 320,000 deaths amongst 15-29 year olds in 2004. Providing guidance and advice to parents is essential if alcohol misuse is to be reduced. However, prevention of risky behaviours is hampered if parents are unaware of the risks involved. Methods: A cross-sectional school-based survey of parent-child dyads, simultaneously questioning 935 children aged 11-17 years old and their parent(s). Univariate and multivariate associations are reported between demography, alcohol behaviours and parental knowledge of their child's alcohol consumption. Results: 41.1% (n = 384) of children reported drinking alcohol. Of these, 79.9% of their parents were aware of their child's alcohol consumption. Children aged 11-14 years had over a twofold greater odds of consuming alcohol without parental knowledge compared with 15-17 year olds (AOR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.3-5.7). Of parent-child dyads where the child reported consuming alcohol, 92.7% of parents reported that they had spoken to their child about alcohol at least once in the past three months, whereas 57.3% of their children reported that this had occurred. Children who consumed alcohol and whose parents did not know they drank alcohol were less likely to report having a parental discussion about alcohol in the last three months (AOR: 0.4, 95% CI: 0.1-1.0) or report lifetime receipt of at least one other parenting protective measure (AOR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.2-0.9) compared with those children who drank alcohol with parental knowledge. Conclusions: Whilst only small numbers of young adolescents in our sample were drinking alcohol compared with older adolescents, those who did were more likely to do so without their parents' knowledge. These two factors combined (drinking earlier and drinking without parental knowledge) could place children at risk of immediate harm. Further research is essential to identify whether public health strategies should be developed which could support parents to employ lifestyle parenting techniques even before the parent believes the child to be at risk.

Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 2020

Issue addressed: Underage drinkers most commonly source alcohol from older peers. However, few studies have examined older peers' supply-related beliefs and motivations. Methods: A sample of 270 risky drinkers aged 18-19 years were interviewed in Australia where the legal purchase age is 18. They were asked about their provision to underage friends, awareness of secondary supply legislation (intended to prohibit such supply) and 24 psycho-legal beliefs around supply. Results: Half (49%) provided alcohol to a 16-to 17-year-old friend to drink at a party they were both attending at least twice a year. Three-quarters reported provision was okay so long as the recipient(s) were in a safe environment, and 46% reported "everyone gives alcohol to teenagers if they are in a safe environment." There was significantly higher agreement that "my friends would think I was mean if I did not give alcohol to a friend under the age of 18" (37%), compared to "my friends would think I was uncool if I did not give alcohol to a friend under the age of 18" (26%). Two thirds (69%) felt more responsible for an underage friend's safety if they provided the alcohol. A multivariate logistic regression revealed supply was more likely if the supplier: was aged 18 compared to 19 (95% CI OR: 1.57, 4.84), male (1.06, 3.27), of a higher SES quintile (1.08, 1.80) and believed alcohol supply to minors was morally acceptable (1.01, 1.33) and normal (1.04, 1.38). Knowledge of regulatory strategies (68%) designed to prevent supply to minors, and their perceived deterrent value did not significantly impact supply. Conclusions: Supply of alcohol to underage peers was perceived as morally and socially acceptable in a group of 18-to 19-year-old risky drinkers. So what?: Opportunities include harm reduction initiatives that prioritise caring responsibilities towards friends, as opposed to relying on external enforcement measures alone.

American Journal of Applied Psychology, 2013

Research suggests that underage drinking is a serious problem in the United States, and that many of the factors that influence minors to consume alcohol are environmental in their nature. One such factor is youth-oriented alcohol advertisements. Although many adults support restrictions on such advertisements, others do not or do so to a lesser degree. In this study, we explored one factor that may influence how strongly adults support restrictions on youth-oriented alcohol advertisements: The frequency with which adults themselves report consuming alcoholic beverages. A total of 767 adult Idahoans completed a survey asking about a variety of perceptions related to underage drinking, including whether they supported five types of restrictions on youth-oriented alcohol advertisement. They also answered a question about their own drinking behavior. The results revealed a significant effect of adults' self-reported alcohol consumption behavior on their support for all five types of advertising restrictions. Adults who reported not consuming alcohol were significantly more supportive of all five types of advertising restrictions than those who reported consuming at least one alcoholic beverage in an average week. Significant differences in adults' levels of support for all five types of advertising restriction were also revealed as a function of frequency with which adults consumed alcoholic beverages. Adults who reported consuming alcohol on one day in an average week reported significantly more support for all five types of advertising restrictions than those who reported consuming alcohol four or more days in an average week. These findings identify a population-heavier drinking adults-for education about problems associated with underage drinking and advertising alcohol to minors.

Addiction, 2014

Aims-To examine relationships between characteristics of the local alcohol environment and adolescent alcohol use and beliefs in 50 California cities. Design-The study used longitudinal survey data collected from adolescents; city-level measures of local alcohol policy comprehensiveness, policy enforcement, adult drinking, and bar density; and multi-level modeling with three levels (city, individual, time), allowing for random effects. Models included interaction terms (time × alcohol environment characteristics) and main effects, controlling for city and youth demographic characteristics. Analyses also examined possible mediating effects of alcohol-related beliefs. Setting-50 California cities (50,000-500,000 population). Participants-Random samples of 1,478 adolescents and 8,553 adults. Measurements-Past-year alcohol use and heavy drinking, and alcohol-related beliefs (e.g., perceived alcohol availability) among adolescents; past-28-day alcohol use among adults; ratings of local alcohol control policies; funding for enforcement activities; bars per roadway mile. Findings-Local alcohol policy comprehensiveness and enforcement were associated with lower levels of past-year alcohol use (betas = −.003 and −.085, p<.05). Bar density was associated with a higher level of past-year alcohol use (beta = 1.09, p<.01). A greater increase in past-year alcohol use and heavy drinking over time was observed among adolescents living in cities with higher levels of adult drinking (betas = .224 and .108, p<.01). Effects of bar density appeared to be mediated through perceived alcohol availability and perceived approval of alcohol use. Conclusions-Adolescent alcohol use and heavy drinking are related to characteristics of the local alcohol environment, including alcohol control policies, enforcement, adult drinking, and bar density. Change in adolescents' drinking appears to be influenced by community-level adult drinking. Bar density effects appear to be mediated through perceived alcohol availability and approval of alcohol use.

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2003

Past literature has established an association between children's alcohol-related behaviors and parents' use of and attitudes toward alcohol. However, most studies tend to measure parental use and attitudes through proxy, i.e. children's perception. It is not clear the extent to which actual parental use and attitudes influence children's alcohol behaviors. The current study directly used parents' reports on alcohol use and attitudes toward alcohol and examined their impact on children's alcohol use. Based on a threestage random sampling design, 642 dyads of parents and children (ages 15 Á/18) were interviewed by telephone in New York State. Study variables include parental alcohol use, children's alcohol use, parental attitudes toward underage drinking and parent Á/child interaction. While parental use and attitudes do not seem to significantly affect children's alcohol use, the extent to which parents prohibit children from using alcohol at home tends to reduce children's alcohol involvement. In addition, the greater the amount of time spent with alcohol-using parents, the more likely the children are to use alcohol. Findings suggest that, while parents' alcohol use influences children's alcohol use through extensive interaction, parental control of underage alcohol use in the household appears to reduce children's involvement in underage alcohol use.

Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 2009

Strategies to enforce underage drinking laws are aimed at reducing youth access to alcohol from commercial and social sources and deterring its possession and use. However, the processes through which enforcement strategies may affect underage drinking are not well understood. This study examined three possible processes by which perceived enforcement of underage drinking laws and personal beliefs (perceived alcohol availability, perceived harm, and personal disapproval of alcohol use) may influence alcohol use among adolescents. Survey data were obtained from 20,747 adolescents (48.3% males) in 115 school districts who participated in the 2006 Oregon Healthy Teens survey. Linear regression analyses were conducted to examine possible interactive and main effects of perceived enforcement and personal beliefs on past-30-day alcohol use. Analyses were adjusted for clustering of observations within school districts and included student demographics and age of alcohol use initiation as c...

Journal of Community Health, 2010

Strategies to enforce underage drinking laws are aimed at reducing youth access to alcohol from commercial and social sources and deterring its possession and use. However, little is known about the processes through which enforcement strategies may affect underage drinking. The purpose of the current study is to present and test a conceptual model that specifies possible direct and indirect relationships among adolescents' perception of community alcohol norms, enforcement of underage drinking laws, personal beliefs (perceived parental disapproval of alcohol use, perceived alcohol availability, perceived drinking by peers, perceived harm and personal disapproval of alcohol use), and their past-30-day alcohol use. This study used data from 17,830 middle and high school students who participated in the 2007 Oregon Health Teens Survey. Structural equations modeling indicated that perceived community disapproval of adolescents' alcohol use was directly and positively related to perceived local police enforcement of underage drinking laws. In addition, adolescents' personal beliefs appeared to mediate the relationship between perceived enforcement of underage drinking laws and past-30-day alcohol use. Enforcement of underage drinking laws appeared to partially mediate the relationship between perceived community disapproval and personal beliefs related to alcohol use. Results of this study suggests that environmental prevention efforts to reduce underage drinking should target adults' attitudes and community norms about underage drinking as well as the beliefs of youth themselves.

Substance use & misuse, 2012

An adolescent’s perception of norms is related to her or his engagement in alcohol-related behaviors. Norms have different sources, such as parents, peers, and community. We explored how norms from different sources were simultaneously related to different alcohol-related behaviors (current drinking, drunkenness, heavy episodic drinking, driving under the influence or riding with a impaired driver, and alcohol-related nonviolent consequences) using data collected in 2004 from 6,958 adolescents from 68 communities in five states. Results revealed that parent, friend, and community norms were related to adolescents’ alcohol-related behavior, but the strength of these impacts varied across behaviors. The pattern of results varied when the analysis relied on all adolescents or just those who had consumed alcohol in the last year.

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 2004

Despite the current societal concern with underage drinking, little attention has been paid to alcohol use within the preadolescent population. This article presents the proceedings of a symposium held at the 2003 Research Society on Alcoholism meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that was organized and chaired by John E. Donovan. The intent of the symposium was to kick start research on alcohol use among elementary school children by reviewing what is known regarding drinking in childhood. Presentations included (1) The Epidemiology of Children's Alcohol Use, by John E. Donovan; (2) The Validity of Children's Self-Reports of Alcohol Use, by Sharon L. Leech; (3) Predicting Onset of Drinking From Behavior at Three Years of Age: Influence of Early Child Expectancies and Parental Alcohol Involvement Upon Early First Use, by Robert A. Zucker; and (4) Parent, Peer, and Child Risk Factors for Alcohol Use in Two Cohorts of Elementary School Children, by Carol J. Loveland-Cherry. Presentations indicated the need for better nationwide surveillance of children's experience with alcohol; suggested that children's reports of their use of alcohol tend to be reliable and valid; supported children's alcohol use schemas and parental drinking and alcoholism at child age three as independent predictors of early onset drinking; and showed that onset of drinking before fourth or fifth grade, peer pressure, and parental norms and monitoring predict elementary student alcohol use and misuse.

Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 2013

Understanding alcohol use onset among young adolescents is critical in identifying their perceptions, socialization, and decision-making that will assist in prevention efforts. This study examined childrenÕs beliefs about alcohol. We conducted focus groups with 18 youth in grades 3-8 to explore their views about 1) the risk and protective factors of underage drinking, and 2) the consequences of alcohol use. Findings suggest that youthsÕ perceptions of media content, use of family members as verbal and behavioral referents, non-family member adultsÕ alcohol use, and peer factors are concomitant processes that youth consider in formulating beliefs about alcohol use.

Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 2014

Background: An earlier study using social marketing and audience segmentation distinguished five segments of Dutch adolescents aged 12-18 years based on their attitudes towards alcohol. The present, qualitative study focuses on two of these five segments ('ordinaries' and 'ordinary sobers') and explores the attitudes of these two segments towards alcohol, and the role of parents and peers in their alcohol use in more detail. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in the province of North-Brabant, the Netherlands. With a 28-item questionnaire, segments of adolescents were identified. From the ordinaries and ordinary sobers who were willing to participate in a focus group, 55 adolescents (30 ordinaries and 25 ordinary sobers) were selected and invited to participate. Finally, six focus groups were conducted with 12-17 year olds, i.e., three interviews with 17 ordinaries and three interviews with 20 ordinary sobers at three different high schools.

PEDIATRICS, 2008

The epidemiological features of underage drinking and evidence of its social, health, and economic consequences suggest compelling reasons for the development and dissemination of effective preventive interventions. To clarify the nature and extent of the current evidence base on preventive interventions addressing underage drinking, a review of the literature was conducted through extensive searches of the research literature on outcome evaluations, existing reviews of this body of outcome research (N ϭ 25), and summary reports of evidence on specific interventions. More than 400 interventions were identified and screened, and the evidence for 127 was reviewed. Criteria for the evaluation of evidence were established for intervention studies with alcohol-specific outcome measures for 3 developmental periods (Ͻ10, 10 -15, and 16 to Ն20 years of age). Ultimately, 12 interventions met criteria for "most promising" evidence and 29 met criteria for "mixed or emerging" evidence. Conducting this review revealed clear advances in the number of evidence-based interventions available and the quality of outcome research; however, much work remains to achieve greater public health impact through evidence-based interventions. This work should consider (1) the great need for intervention research related to understudied developmental phases, intervention domains (eg, family, school, community, and media), and populations (eg, early tweens, late teens, young adults not attending college, and nonmajority populations); (2) the critical importance of addressing key issues in research design and methods (eg, limited longitudinal studies, replication studies, and dissemination research); and (3) the need for improved consistency in application of evidence and reporting standards. Finally, we recommend the application of emerging consumer-oriented and community-participatory models for intervention development and research, designed to increase the likelihood of "real-world" public health impact through improved translation of intervention science into practice. M ANY OF THE published reports on outcomes of preventive interventions addressing underage drinking open with statements on the broad scope of the problem, based on epidemiological data and results from studies of the social, health, and economic consequences of underage drinking. It is eminently clear from such findings that the magnitude of the problem is great. In this country, lifetime prevalence rates of alcohol use among eighth-, 10th-, and 12th-graders are 41.0%, 63.2%, and 75.1%, respectively. 1 Prevalence rates for past 30-day use are substantial, at 17.1%, 33.2%, and 47.0% for the 3 grade levels. Of considerable concern are the levels of more-problematic types of use, including binge drinking and drunkenness. For example, the past 30-day rates of drunkenness among eighth-, 10th-, and 12th-graders in 2005 were 6.0%, 17.6%, and 30.2%, respectively. 1 It is noteworthy that these problematic levels of alcohol use occur worldwide. There is extensive literature on the social, health, and economic consequences of underage drinking. 3-6 To begin, the single greatest mortality risk of underage drinking is traffic crashes 7 ; adolescents who indulge in heavy drinking are more likely to engage in risky driving behaviors. Underage drinking also is a major factor in both unintentional and intentional injury deaths. 7 Furthermore, adolescents who drink heavily are at increased risk for development of physical health problems, during adolescence and subsequently. 10 Among the major health problems are those associated with an increased likelihood of unprotected sexual activity. Underage drinking also is associated with a range of mental health and other behavioral problems, including depression and suicidality, 4,12,13 delinquent behaviors, 14 and violence, including rapes, 15 as well as poorer academic performance. The costs of underage drinking are estimated to be more than $62 billion, although estimates are wide-ranging 18,19 and a comprehensive, definitive, economic analysis remains to be performed. Perhaps the single most important point to be made about underage drinking is that there can be substantial, lifelong consequences that take a tremendous toll on individuals, families, communities, and society as a whole.