Component #5 - Local Policies, Enforcement, and Underage Drinking

政策和执法方法往往被提倡为减少未成年人饮酒的最佳做法。 研究表明，酒精政策和执法在州和地方一级有很大的差异，但很少有研究探讨是否在地方政策和执法活动的变化与青年人之间的酒精使用和相关问题的差异。显然，没有研究调查当地的酒精政策和/或执法活动是否会影响饮酒或饮酒轨迹。对中介机制知之甚少（例如，酒精的来源， 感知的可获得性，感知的执行，感知的规范），通过环境干预可能会影响青年饮酒。此外，还没有研究调查当地酒精政策与年轻人的背景和个人特征（例如，年龄、性别、种族）和执法水平。这种调节效应对于理解地方政策如何影响青年获得酒精和未成年人饮酒可能很重要。为了解决这些问题，拟议的研究将使用基于档案和关键线人调查数据的地方监管政策，实践和执法活动的年度评估。青少年的饮酒观念、行为和问题将通过每年在同一城市进行的电话调查来衡量。本研究的具体目的是：（1）描述和量化加州50个城市的地方酒精监管政策、实践和执法活动，并记录这些政策随时间的变化;（2）确定地方监管政策、实践和执法活动是否与未成年人饮酒和饮酒问题的差异以及饮酒行为和问题随时间的变化相关;（3）调查当地酒精政策和执法的差异是否与潜在的重要中间因素有关（例如，酒精的来源，感知的可用性，感知的执行，酒精的期望，感知的规范），并随着时间的推移，这些因素的变化;（4）调查的程度，政策与饮酒行为的关系，以及饮酒行为和问题的变化，是通过这些中间因素介导的;和（5）调查是否年龄，性别和种族差异调节 当地监管政策、实践和执法活动与饮酒信念和行为之间的关系，以及这些信念和行为随时间的变化。研究的第二个目的是探索社区特征（例如，资源的可得性、无组织性、种族多样性、联盟的存在），这些可能与采取更全面的政策有关。这项研究将有助于确定地方一级减少未成年人饮酒和与酒精有关的问题的有效政策做法。这项研究的最终目标是确定有效的政策和执法实践，可用于在地方一级预防和减少未成年人饮酒和饮酒问题。

Policy and enforcement approaches are often advocated as best practices to reduce underage drinking. Research indicates that there is considerable variability in alcohol policy and enforcement at the state and local level, but few studies have examined whether variations in local policies and enforcement activities are related to differences in alcohol use and related problems among young people. Apparently no studies have investigated whether local alcohol policies and/or enforcement activities influence initiation to drinking or drinking trajectories. Very little is known about the mediating mechanisms (e.g., sources of alcohol, perceived availability, perceived enforcement, perceived norms) through which environmental interventions may affect youth alcohol use. Additionally, no studies have investigated the extent to which local alcohol policies may interact with background and personal characteristics of young people (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity) and levels of enforcement. Such moderating effects may be important for understanding how local policies influence youth access to alcohol and underage drinking. To address these questions, the proposed study will use annual assessments of local regulatory policies, practices, and enforcement activities based on archival and key informant survey data. Adolescents' drinking beliefs, behaviors, and problems will be measured using annual telephone surveys in the same cities. The specific aims of the study are to (1) describe and quantify local alcohol regulatory policies, practices, and enforcement activities in a sample of 50 California cities and document changes in these policies over time; (2) determine whether local regulatory policies, practices, and enforcement activities are associated with differences in underage drinking and drinking problems and changes in drinking behaviors and problems over time; (3) investigate whether differences in local alcohol policies and enforcement are related to potentially important intermediate factors (e.g., sources of alcohol, perceived availability, perceived enforcement, alcohol expectancies, perceived norms) and to changes in these factors over time; (4) investigate the extent to which relationships of policies with drinking behaviors, and changes in drinking behaviors and problems, are mediated through these intermediate factors; and (5) investigate whether age, gender, and ethnic differences moderate the relationships between local regulatory policies, practices and enforcement activities and drinking beliefs and behaviors, and changes in these beliefs and behaviors, over time. A secondary aim of the study is to explore community characteristics (e.g., availability of resources, disorganization, ethnic diversity, presence of coalitions) that may be related to the adoption of more comprehensive policies. This study will help to identify effective policy practices at the local level for reducing underage drinking and alcohol-related problems. The ultimate goal of this research to identify effective policy and enforcement practices that can be used at the local level for preventing and reducing underage drinking and drinking problems.