Taney County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team - CADCA Got Outcomes! 2010 Milestones Award

Formed in 2008, and based in Branson, Missouri, the Taney County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team works to decrease lifetime and past 30-day alcohol use among Taney County Junior and Senior High School Students using evidence-based policies, practices and programs. To inform their community assessment, the coalition gathered information using student surveys, archival data, interviews and focus groups and prioritized. Data revealed that 46.7 percent of 6th, 8th and 9th graders reported drinking alcohol in their lifetime (other than for religious purposes). High alcohol outlet density, retailers selling to minors, and low perceptions of risk associated with underage drinking contributed to the problem. Informed by local data, the coalition developed a strategic approach that included coordinating an underage drinking awareness campaign, creating graduated sanctions for underage drinkers and drafting and enhancing local alcohol ordinances. The coalition’s efforts contributed to drastic changes in youth perceptions of access to alcohol, awareness of harm, and risky behaviors between 2008 and 2010. For example, fewer youth report that alcohol is “sort of easy” or “very easy” to get (70 percent in 2008; 37.45 percent in 2010), and fewer youth report having ridden in a car with someone under the influence of alcohol (27.5 percent in 2008; 14.04 percent in 2010). Student alcohol consumption is also declining and the coalition plans to sustain this downward trend in the coming years.