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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Madeline Robertson, JD, MD, College of Public Health/ Dept. Health Administration & Policy, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, P.O. Box 26901, 801 NE 13th Street, # 357, Oklahoma City, OK 73190, 405/271-2115, madeline-robertson@ouhsc.edu, David M. Thompson, PhD, College of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 801 N.E 13th Street, CHB 321, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, James Potts, MPH Student, College of Public Health/ Dept. of Biostatistics & Epidemiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, CHB 321, 801 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, and Mike Brand, PhD, HPS, OUHSC, P.O. Box 26901, Oklahoma City, OK 73901.

This study examined associations between state laws targeting underage consumption of alcohol, some of which permit exceptions on the basis of parental permission, and measures of alcohol consumption among adults between 18 and 20 years of age. We found that greater legal parental discretion to permit underage drinking is significantly associated with higher rates of alcohol consumption in 18 to 20 year olds. This finding raises important legal, policy and parental rights issues that are not well explored in peer-reviewed literature. It points to the need for further research regarding underage drinking, parental rights, and state law.

We explored data for 8,255 individuals ages 18 to 20 from the 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). Logistic regression analysis examined the covariates of the use or non-use of alcohol during the month prior to the BRFSS interview. We compared the proportion of young adults who reported drinking among groupings of states. States were grouped according to the status of their underage consumption laws, which ranged from a complete prohibition against underage consumption without parental exceptions, to laws that permitted various parental exceptions, and finally to states with no legal prohibitions on underage consumption. Information on state laws was obtained from the Alcohol Policy Information System, a project of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.Recognize variations in state laws that address underage drinking
• 2.Recognize laws as important environmental controls on underage drinking.
• 3.Discuss policy issues with respect to restrictions on parental authority to permit underage drinking.

Keywords: Alcohol, Public Health Legislation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered