Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Gary M. Najarian, MSW, Department of Health and Human Services, County of Marin, Division of Alcohol, Drug and Tobacco Programs, 10 North San Pedro Road, Suite 1013, San Rafael, CA 94903, 4154994230, gnajarian@co.marin.ca.us and Tamara Trojanowski, Department of Community Services, Town of Stratford, 468 Bidseye Street, Stratford, CT 06615.

The SUDS Coalition, a cooperative effort of the Stratford Police Department and the Stratford Youth and Family Advisory Board, is a youth-adult partnership working to reduce underage drinking by raising community awareness of the problems associated with underage drinking and limiting youth access to alcohol. Recognizing that traditional approaches were not enough, the Advisory Board teamed up with the Stratford Police Department to launch a community-wide initiative known as Stopping Underage Drinking in Stratford (SUDS) in 1998. SUDS activities are based on the SAMHSA Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA). Alcohol use measures have declined since 1998, reflecting Stratford's and Connecticut's major initiatives on underage drinking, as well as national trends. The following successes are from a sample of Stratford students in grades 7 to 12. Reports attending one or more parties in the last year “where other kids your ages were drinking.” Decreased by 18%; Used alcohol once or more in the last 30 days decreased by 15%; Got drunk once or more in the last two weeks decreased by 9%; and Has used alcohol three or more times in the last 30 days or got drunk once or more in the last two weeks decreased by 10%. In addition, the Stratford Police Department has conducted nearly 20 compliance checks alcohol outlets resulting in over 41 referrals to the State Liquor Commission. In 1999, 70% of the outlets checked sold to underage operatives. By June 2003, only 17% of the outlets checked sold alcohol to minors.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the underage drinking prevention efforts used at the community level to achieve a reduction in youth drinking in Stratford, Connecticut
• Discuss the problem of underage drinking in Connecticut
• Discuss environmental prevention strategies and their application to the reduction of underage drinking
• Identify steps that other communities can take to achieve reductions in underage drinking
• Discuss media and public relations opportunities

Keywords: Alcohol, Community-Based Partnership

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation