Responsible Alcohol Sales Training Sessions in Georgia

Widespread alcohol use among American youth and its association with disability and premature death remain a paramount public health priority. The State of Georgia has innovatively utilized social indicator data to understand a web of influence that underscores underage drinking throughout the state. Following examination of juvenile specific alcohol indicators, community alcohol prevalence indicators, and high risk youth correlates; a comprehensive intervention plan was launched to address diverse underage drinking determinants. One such effort was the development of attorney-led responsible alcohol sales [RASS] workshops targeting vendors within the 10 most at-risk counties. The workshops were aimed at enhancing vendors' knowledge of illegal alcohol and tobacco sale laws, violations, and consequences. Forty-five matched pre-posttests were collected. The results of a repeated measures t-test indicate that participant knowledge of responsible alcohol sales increased significantly by 26 percentage points from pre to post training (t44 = -7.17, p < .001, CI95% = 34.03 to 18.60). Item by item comparison reveal that, for 10 items, participants' knowledge increased between pre and post examination. However, less than 75% of participants answered incorrectly in either pre or post test how most underage customers get alcohol from businesses and the purpose of having a formal written alcohol policy. While the overall test scores establish evidence of RASS training effectiveness, identification of gaps in vendor knowledge provides insight into how future educational training efforts can be improved. Finally, tracking RASS training participants and examining subsequent alcohol violations would shed further light on the strength of such an intervention.