Young Men More Likely to Buy Alcohol for Underage Drinkers

An SPH study finds that nearly 20 percent of young men are willing to buy alcohol for underage drinkers when approached outside a store. In contrast, only 8 percent of the general population agreed to purchase alcohol when "shoulder-tapped" outside of a convenience or liquor store.

The study is the first of its kind to examine the effectiveness of the shoulder-tapping strategy, asking adults to buy youth alcohol as they enter stores. Most underage drinkers obtain alcohol from social sources--individuals who illegally provide alcohol to youth--as opposed to commercial sources.

"The small percentage of the general population that agreed to purchase alcohol when approached is encouraging," says SPH associate professor Traci Toomey, lead author of the study. "However, the percentage of males willing to buy alcohol was much higher and more concerning."

For the study, Toomey and colleagues recruited five people who were older than 21 but appeared to be 18 to 20 years old. The recruits approached adults as they entered 219 convenience or liquor stores in the Twin Cities metro area and asked if the customers would buy them a six-pack of beer. The study also found that adults approached at a city store rather than a suburban one were nine times more likely to make the purchase.

"Examining the social sources of alcohol to underage drinkers allows us to identify effective interventions," says Toomey. "This study is a first step, but more research needs to be done on all social sources and possible community efforts to stop adults from providing alcohol to underage drinkers."

To hear a Public Health Moment on this study, go to http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sphpod/moment/.