10/29/2001

Keep Kids Alcohol Free: Strategies for Action- A New Guide From the Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free Initiative

A new guide produced by the Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free (http://www.alcoholfreechildren.org) presents three strategies that individuals and communities can use to prevent alcohol use and abuse by children who are 9- to 15-year-old. The guide also includes examples of how different communities have used the strategies and a host of resources, including links to online sources of information and help.

The Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free is a coalition of Governors’ spouses, Federal agencies, and public and private organizations and is the only national effort that focuses on children in this age group. The initiative is funded by: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse (http://www.niaaa.nih.gov), The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (http://www.rwjf.org/index.jsp), Office of Research on Women’s Health (http://www4.od.nih.gov/orwh), National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (http://ncmhd.nih.gov), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (http://www.samhsa.gov), and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov).

According to the guide, the three strategies presented "were selected by a panel of scientists convened by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health (http://www.nih.gov) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (http://www.hhs.gov). The scientists were chosen for their distinguished careers in research on alcohol abuse and dependence and related prevention programs."

The science-based strategies include:

1. Reduce the Availability of Alcohol: This strategy is based on the principle that children will drink less if alcohol is harder to get. It suggests that communities "can make alcohol less available by promoting responsible adult behavior and holding adults accountable when they provide alcohol to minors; by raising the price of beer, wine, and liquor; or by reducing the number of places where alcohol is sold or served."
2. Improve the Effectiveness of Law Enforcement: This strategy is based on findings that existing laws regulating underage drinking are often not enforced. It suggests that communities should better enforce policies and laws to stop underage drinking in order to reduce underage drinking and also to communicate that the community is not indifferent to the problem.
3. Change Social Norms: Since "children draw conclusions about alcohol-related social norms from what they see and hear about alcohol in their families and communities," this strategy suggests that communities limit promotion of alcohol, publicize and enforce alcohol-related laws, and prevent underage access to alcohol.

The guide also provides a list of criteria that communities might use to help them to choose one or a combination of strategies that are detailed in the guide. It also provides a list of "first steps" to use to begin a campaign against alcohol use by children in a community.

The guide can be downloaded from the National Issues Forums website at http://www.nifi.org/discussion_guides/detail.aspx?catID=15&itemID=672.

For more information contact:

The Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free
5530 Wisconsin Avenue
Suite 1600
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
e-mail: leadership@alcoholfreechildren.org
Telephone: 301-654-6740
Fax: 301-656-4012
www.alcoholfreechildren.org