Materials Related to Underage Drinking

Underage drinking is a serious health and safety issue.  Research provides insight into the nature of the problem and strategies for reducing underage drinking.

Recent PRC Publications

The Young Impaired Driver Problem: Prospects for a Safer Future
Adobe Acrobat document
By Kathryn Stewart

The Young Impaired Driver Problem: Recent Developments and Future Progress
Adobe Acrobat document /  Powerpoint presentation
By Kathryn Stewart, Barry M. Sweedler

Youth Drinking Rates and Problems: A Comparison of European Countries and the United States
By Bettina Friese and Joel W. Grube

Recent PRC Presentations

Community Based Projects to Prevent Underage Drinking
By Kathryn Stewart

Media Release

Alcohol outlets associated with injuries among youth and young adults
December 2009
A new study of places that sell alcohol – bars, restaurants liquor stores, convenience stores, etc. – shows that the type and location of these outlets appears to affect alcohol related injures among youth and young adults.
Click here to read the entire media release

Dangerous college drinking: Prevention is possible, studies suggest
June 2009
Alcohol is sometimes seen as part and parcel of college life, but there are programs that can significantly reduce students' risky drinking.
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Colleges, communities combat off-campus student drinking
June 2009
Programs that bring colleges and their surrounding neighborhoods together may help reduce off-campus drinking problems, a new study suggests.
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Communities Containing More Alcohol Outlets Show Increased Underage Alcohol Access
May 2009
Research Indicates Communities with a Higher Concentration of Alcohol Outlets are More Likely to Contain Greater Levels of Underage Alcohol Access.
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Study Shows Correlation Between Number of Alcohol Retailers and Youth Injuries
September 2008
Children who live in neighborhoods with a high number of alcohol outlets may be at a higher risk of personal injury, according to a research study that will be published in the November 2008 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
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Heavy drinking patterns learned when young can lead to long term health problems
November 2007
Heavy drinking early in life is associated with overweight, abdominal fat, and low levels of "good" cholesterol later in life, increasing risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke
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Higher beer taxes, 21 drinking age reduces traffic deaths of young people, study finds
April 2007
Communities with few alcohol regulations could consider raising taxes on beer as a way to reduce drunken driving fatalities among young people. Alcohol-control policies such as the minimum legal drinking age and raising beer taxes have helped prevent youth access to alcohol and the problems of underage drinking.
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Young people able to buy beer at stores even without proper ID, new study finds
March 2007
Clerks at grocery and convenience stores were more likely to sell alcohol to a young person without asking for an ID than other stores, according to a recent statewide study.
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Heavy drinking still acute among young military members
March 2006
Young military men in all branches of service drink significantly more alcohol than their civilian counterparts. And, military culture contributes to this ongoing problem, according to a recently published report.
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Kids like cute creatures in beer ads, more likely to buy brand of beer, study suggests
October 2005
A Budweiser commercial showing a rock star ferret replacing talking lizards as the official beer mascot was appealing to children 10 to 17 years old and made them want to buy Bud, recent PRC research showed.
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Community vigilance on alcohol control can cut teen drinking
December 2004
Community attitudes and efforts on underage drinking may have the biggest impact on whether teens binge drink and drive drunk, according to new research.
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College Students are Bingeing to Extremes
September 2004
With millions of high school seniors entering college this month, university administrators need to be vigilant in combating extremely hazardous drinking that new research shows is worse among freshman males.
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Heavy Drinking Among College Students Can Be Predicted
March 2004
Drinking among college students has been recognized as a serious problem on college campuses in the U.S. Research has shown that college drinkers drink more, and more often, than young people not in college.
Click here to read the entire media release

Teens Who Work Are More Likely to Drink Heavily
January 2004
Teens who work more than ten hours per week are more likely to engage in heavy or “binge” drinking, according to a recent study by the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE).
Click here to read the entire media release

PRC Publications 

Strategies to Reduce Underage Alcohol Use: Typology and Brief Overview
Prepared by Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation

Young Impaired Drivers: The Nature of the Problem and Possible Solutions
A Workshop - National Academy of Sciences Jonsson Conference Center

Frequently Asked Questions about Preventing Underage Drinking: Community Policies and Enforcement
By Kathryn Stewart

Minimum Purchase Age Laws
How Effective Are They in Reducing Alcohol-Impaired Driving?
http://resources.prev.org/documents/CircularAlcoholReg051607.pdf

New Zealand Lowers Drinking Age
Case Study
http://resources.prev.org/documents/CircularAlcoholReg051607.pdf

Status of 14 Under-Age-21 Drinking Laws in the United States http://resources.prev.org/documents/CircularAlcoholReg051607.pdf

The Effects of Establishing Closing Hours in Juárez, Mexico http://resources.prev.org/documents/CircularAlcoholReg051607.pdf

Alcohol Advertising: What Makes It Attractive to Youth?
By Meng-Jinn Chen, Joel W. Grube, Melina Bersamin, Elizabeth Waiters, And Deborah B. Keefe
Journal of Health Communication
2005

Is Commercial Alcohol Availability Related to Adolescent Alcohol Sources and Alcohol Use?
Story of Discovery
By Mallie J. Paschall, Ph.D.,  Joel W. Grube, Ph.D.,  Carol Black, M.A. and Christopher L. Ringwalt, Dr.P.H.

Mixed messages: Contributions to adolescent drinking and driving
Story of Discovery
By Peter Nygaard & Joel W. Grube

Emerging Adults’ Substance Use And Risky Behaviors In Club Settings
Story of Discovery
By Brenda Miller, C. Debra Furr-Holden, Robert B. Voas, and Kristin Bright

The Effects of Information on Norms about Heavy Drinking in High School
Story of Discovery
By Gina Agostinelli and Joel Grube

Ethnic Differences in the Effect of College on Drinking
Story of Discovery
By M.J. Paschall, Melina Bersamin, and Robert Flewelling