Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol
Problems addressed
Drug abuse
Alcohol abuse
Effectiveness

No Effect

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No Effect

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Life periods served
Teenagers (14 to 17 years)
Where the program was applied
Community (streets or community centers)
Country of application
United States
Description

This is a community intervention to reduce and prevent underage drinking. The objective is to limit access to alcoholic beverages and raise community awareness of the dangers of underage drinking.
The intervention strategy is to focus on cultural, institutional, and legal practices that facilitate access to alcohol, such as commercial and social sources, through two components:
1) Multiple one-on-one conversations with community members to build relationships and put together action teams; and
2) Action teams responsible for organizing and implementing educational and preventive activities in the community.
The structured implementation process lasts three years or longer.

Impact evaluations

An impact evaluation found that the program did not produce statistically significant differences in the prevalence of youth drinking, the number of drinking occasions in the previous month, the number of drinks consumed, attempts to purchase alcohol, or retailers’ behavior [1].
Another study indicates that students exposed to the program showed a significant reduction in the likelihood of consuming alcohol during the following 30 days and of having risky drinking episodes [2].
Results from a third study indicate significant reductions in the abuse of other drugs, such as chewing tobacco and cannabis, as well as medication abuse [3].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Wagenaar, A. C., Murray, D. M., Gehan, J. P., Wolfson, M., Forster, J. L., Toomey, T. L., Perry, C. L. & Jones-Webb, R. (2000). Communities mobilizing for change on alcohol: Outcomes from a randomized community trial. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 61(1), 85–94. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsa.2000.61.85

[2] Komro, K. A., Livingston, M. D., Wagenaar, A. C., Kominsky, T. K., Pettigrew, D. W. & Garrett, B. A. (2017). Multilevel Prevention Trial of Alcohol Use Among American Indian and White High School Students in the Cherokee Nation. American Journal of Public Health, 107(3), 453–459. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303603

[3] Livingston, M.D., Komro, K.A., Wagenaar, A. C., Kominsky, T.K., Pettigrew, D.W. & Garrett, B.A. (2018). Efeitos das intervenções de álcool no uso de outras drogas na Nação Cherokee. American Journal of Public Health, 108 (2), 259-261. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.304188

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