OVERVIEW

Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol is a program designed to engage various community institutions-such as alcohol merchants, schools, and law enforcement-in a joint effort to decrease alcohol abuse and drunk driving among adolescents and youth. An experimental evaluation reveals that communities with this program experienced declines in drunk driving arrests for youth 15-20.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: Community level media campaign to focus on youth ages 15-20 who are at risk for engaging in drunk driving

Community organizers, hired in each program community, worked with several community institutions, including local public officials, law enforcement, alcohol merchants, the media, and local schools, to affect community policies and reduce underage access to alcohol over the course of 2.5 years (Wagenaar, Murray, & Toomey, 2000). During the program implementation period, there were changes in alcohol retail policies and practices, in media attention to alcohol issues, and in law enforcement practices.

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

Wagenaar, A.C., Murray, D.M., & Toomey, T.L. (2000). Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA): effects of a randomized trial on arrests and traffic crashes. Addiction, 95(2), 209-217.

Evaluated population: 15 Midwestern communities

Approach: 15 Midwestern communities were randomized to a community-organizing program ("Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol") or control condition. Comparisons were made based on city data on arrests and traffic crashes for the six years prior to and the three years spanning the program implementation.

Results: When compared with the control communities, the program communities saw a decline in drunk driving arrests among young people ages 18 to 20 years and among adolescents between the ages of 15 and 17 years. There was no measurable impact on MVCs, although the authors note that the study did not have a strong ability to detect any changes in MVC occurrence.

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

Link to program curriculum: http://www.epi.umn.edu/alcohol/manual/index.shtm 

References:

Wagenaar, A.C., Murray, D.M., & Toomey, T.L. (2000). Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA): effects of a randomized trial on arrests and traffic crashes. Addiction, 95(2), 209-217.

SUMMARY & CATEGORIZATION

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

Evaluated participant ages: 15-20 / Program age ranges in the Guide: 15-21

Program components: community/media

Measured outcomes: behavioral problems

Program information last updated 3/14/07

© Child Trends 2003