Research Into Action, RIA for short, helps coalitions bridge the gap between research and practice in the coalition field by keeping coalitions current on research findings relevant to their work. In addition, this series provides actionable steps for coalitions to incorporate the knowledge gained into community action.

This issue is based on an article titled Who Drinks Where: Youth Selection of Drinking Contexts by Dr. Sharon Lipperman-Kreda that appeared in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Key Findings:

• Parties were by far the most common drinking location among youth and the more frequently a youth drank, the more likely he or she was to drink at a party.
• Drinking at parties and at someone else’s home without parents present increased as youth got older while drinking at parking lots or street corners decreased with age.
• Drinking at school events was the least commonly reported drinking location yet girls were almost 75% more likely to drink at school events than boys.
• Youth who drank in parking lots or on street corners were more likely to be heavy drinkers. Deviance was associated with drinking in all contexts except bar, restaurants, or night clubs.
• Youth who drank at restaurants, bars, or nightclubs were more likely to be older while youth who drank in parking lots or on street corners were more likely to be younger and female. Over time, the likelihood of drinking at parking lots/street corners decreased.