Preventing underage drinking: a "roll of the dice"

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Education
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Underage drinking poses significant risks to adolescent development and public safety.
• Lack of awareness regarding legal and social consequences contributes to the prevalence of underage drinking.
• Effective educational interventions are needed to address underage drinking behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the "Underage Drinking: A Roll of the Dice" video and discussion guide.
• To assess the program's impact on awareness, knowledge, risk perception, and acceptability of underage drinking.
• To determine the long-term retention of educational effects and the value of supplementary materials.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design involving 19 school and community groups in Hawaii.
• Random assignment to receive follow-up materials or no follow-up materials.
• Pretest, posttest, and follow-up surveys administered to 300 and 220 participants, respectively.

Main Results:

• Participants showed short-term increases in knowledge, perceived risk, and responsibility, and decreased perceived acceptability of underage drinking.
• Significant improvements were observed between pretest and follow-up, with effects maintained for at least one month.
• Additional follow-up materials did not enhance the retention of changes in knowledge and attitudes.

Conclusions:

• A well-designed, one-time educational program can effectively raise awareness of underage drinking laws and penalties.
• The "Roll of the Dice" program offers an inexpensive method for educating youth and adults on the consequences of underage drinking.
• Knowledge of legal consequences associated with underage drinking is not widespread, highlighting the need for targeted interventions.