Evaluation of Global Smart Drinking Goals Initiative

Overview

This study will evaluate effects of a multi-component, population-level intervention on alcohol use and related harms in six intervention cities relative to six matched comparison cities. Intervention components include screening and brief interventions by health providers, other evidence-based interventions (e.g., enforcement of drink-driving or underage drinking laws), and novel or partially tested interventions that warrant further evaluation. Key outcomes of interest include alcohol-related harms such as alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes and fatalities, heavy/binge drinking, underage drinking, and drinking and driving.

This study will evaluate effects of a multi-component, population-level intervention on alcohol use and related harms in six intervention cities relative to six matched comparison cities. The trial is expected to expand to nine intervention and nine comparison cities in 2018. Intervention components include screening and brief interventions by health providers, other evidence-based interventions (e.g., enforcement of drink-driving or underage drinking laws), and novel or partially tested interventions that warrant further evaluation. Key outcomes of interest include alcohol-related harms such as alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes and fatalities, heavy/binge drinking, underage drinking, and drinking and driving. Multiple years of pre- and post-intervention survey data will be collected from cross-sectional samples of adults and youth in each city to assess intervention effects on harmful alcohol use. Multiple years of archival data will also be collected from each city to assess intervention effects on alcohol-related harms such as motor vehicle crashes and fatalities, violence and unintentional injuries. Multi-level analyses will be conducted with data for the total sample of 18 cities and for each pair of cities to determine whether the overall goal of reducing harmful alcohol use by at least 10% is achieved.