Enact social host provision laws
Social host provision laws are enacted by local or state governments to hold accountable adults who supply alcohol to those under age 21.
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Effectiveness: = Moderate effectiveness
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Cost: $ = Lower
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Research Amount: *** = 5 or more cross-sectional studies or 1 to 4 longitudinal studies
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Public Health Reach: Broad
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Staffing Expertise Needed: Policy advocate
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Target Population: Underage students
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Research Population: College, general
Effectiveness ratings are based on estimated success in achieving targeted outcomes. Cost ratings are based on a consensus among research team members of the relative program and staff costs for adoption, implementation, and maintenance of a strategy. Actual costs will vary by institution, depending on size, existing programs, and other campus and community factors. Barriers to implementing a strategy include cost and opposition, among other factors. Public health reach refers to the number of students that a strategy affects. Strategies with a broad reach affect all students or a large group of students (e.g., all underage students); strategies with a focused reach affect individuals or small groups of students (e.g., sanctioned students). Research amount/quality refers to the number and design of studies.
- Dills AK. Social host liability for minors and underage drunk-driving accidents. Journal of Health Economics, 29(2):241–49, 2010.
- Paschall MJ, Grube JW, Thomas S, Cannon C, & Treffers R. Relationships between local enforcement, alcohol availability, drinking norms, and adolescent alcohol use in 50 California cities. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 73(4):657–65, 2012.
- Stout EM, Sloan FA, Liang L, & Davies HH. Reducing harmful alcohol-related behaviors: Effective regulatory methods. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 61(3):402–12, 2000.
- Wagoner KG, Sparks M, Francisco VT, Wyrick D, Nichols T, & Wolfson M. Social host policies and underage drinking parties. Substance Use and Misuse, 48(1–2):41–53, 2013.
- Whetten-Goldstein K, Sloan FA, Stout E, & Liang L. Civil liability, criminal law, and other policies and alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities in the United States: 1984–1995. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 32(6):723–33, 2000.
- Review:
Wagoner KG, Francisco VT, Sparks M, Wyrick D, Nichols T, & Wolfson M. A review of social host policies focused on underage drinking parties: Suggestions for future research. Journal of Drug Education, 42(1):99–117, 2012.
References from 2019 update
- Fell, J.C.; Scherer, M.; Thomas, S.; and Voas, R.B. Assessing the impact of twenty underage drinking laws. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 77(2):249–260, 2016.
- Fell, J.C.; Scherer, M.; Thomas, S.; and Voas, R.B. Effectiveness of social host and fake identification laws on reducing underage drinking driver fatal crashes. Traffic Injury Prevention 15:S64–S73, 2014.
- Fell, J.C.; Fisher, D.A.; Voas, R.B.; et al. The relationship of underage drinking laws to reductions in drinking drivers in fatal crashes in the United States. Accident Analysis and Prevention 40(4):1430–1440, 2008.
- Markowitz, S.; Poe-Yamagata, E.; Andrews, T.; et al. Estimating the relationship between alcohol policies and criminal violence and victimization. German Economic Review 13(4):416–435, 2012.
- Paschall, M.J.; Lipperman-Kreda, S.; Grube, J.W.; and Thomas, S. Relationships between social host laws and underage drinking: Findings from a study of 50 California cities. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 75(6):901–907, 2014.
- Romano, E.; Scherer, M.; Fell, J.C.; and Taylor, E. A comprehensive examination of U.S. laws enacted to reduce alcohol-related crashes among underage drivers. Journal of Safety Research 55:213–221, 2015.
- Scherer, M.; Romano, E.; Caldwell, S.; and Taylor, E. The impact of retail beverage service training and social host laws on adolescents' DUI rates in San Diego County, California. Traffic Injury Prevention 19(2):111–117, 2018.
Ventura County Behavioral Health Department, Model Social Host Liability Ordinance (2005)
For more information about intervention designs and implementation, check the articles in the References tab.
