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Border Binge-Drinking Reduction Program

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

The Border Binge-Drinking Reduction Program provides a process for changing the social and community norms associated with underage and binge drinking that has proven effective at reducing alcohol-related trauma caused by young American's binge drinking across the U.S.-Mexican border. The program is a binational effort to curb irresponsible drinking practices, employing environmental management techniques including (1) regular surveys of youths returning from a night of drinking with anonymous blood alcohol concentration (BAC) breath tests; (2) strong media advocacy, using information from the surveys to characterize the problem, mobilize the community to action, and reframe the issue from an accepted norm to a health and safety issue for the binational community; (3) formation of the Binational Policy Council, which recommends policy changes on both sides of the border and provides spokespeople for the media advocacy and community organizing components; (4) increased enforcement of existing laws and policies, such as ID checks at border crossings and in bars in Tijuana, Mexico; and (5) implementation of policies and practices that impact the environment where dangerous cross-border drinking occurs.

Goal / Mission

The goal of this program is to reduce public health and safety problems related to U.S. teen & binge drinking in Mexico.

Impact

With IPS leadership, there was a reduction in youth nighttime crashes by 45% and 37% fewer nighttime crossers with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher.

Results / Accomplishments

Implementation of the Border Project in the San Diego-Tijuana border region began in 1997. Significant project results were achieved by 1998 in the following outcome areas: number of arrests of Americans in Tijuana, Mexico, for alcohol-related violations; number of bars with a majority of American customers; number of nighttime alcohol-related crashes; number of youths crossing into Mexico to drink; and number of youths returning from Tijuana with high BACs (blood alcohol concentration). Specific outcomes include the following:

Analysis of 16- to 20-year-olds revealed a statistically significant negative relationship between the media coverage associated with the program and the ratio of "had been drinking" crashes to "had not been drinking" crashes, B = -0.002, p<0.04. This decline reflects a 45.3% reduction in the number of 16- to 20-year-old drivers who had been drinking and were involved in crashes (expressed as a multiple of drivers in the same age group who were not drinking and involved in crashes).

Using data collected between midnight and 4 a.m. from June 1997 to December 1999, analysis showed that the ratio of pedestrians with BACs of 0.08 declined by 29.0% during the survey, p = 0.004. During the same period, the number of underage drinking pedestrians declined by 39.8%, p = 0.001.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Institute for Public Stategies
Primary Contact
Institute for Public Strategies
2615 Camino del Rio South
Suite 300
San Diego, CA 92108
619-476-9100
info@publicstrategies.org
http://www.publicstrategies.org/
Topics
Health / Alcohol & Drug Use
Health / Prevention & Safety
Community / Crime & Crime Prevention
Organization(s)
Institute for Public Stategies
Source
SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP)
Date of publication
Nov 2006
Date of implementation
1997
Location
Tijuana, Mexico
For more details
https://publicstrategies.org/focus-areas/alcohol-d...
Target Audience
Children, Teens

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Related Content for: Border Binge-Drinking Reduction Program

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
Michigan Health Improvement Alliance