Outlet Density Effects on Underage Drinking

Alcohol is the most commonly abused drug among youth in the United States, yet the issue of underage drinking has been largely neglected when compared to the abuse of other substances. Underage drinking may have a particularly strong impact in low-income communities, where alcohol is readily available due to high alcohol vendor density. Environmental strategies to prevent the misuse of alcohol among youth, such as reducing outlet density, have been shown to reduce underage drinking. A current study was conducted in an effort to provide UNIDOS Coalition, a community-based partnership in the Inwood and Washington Heights neighborhoods of New York City, with data to base a community-wide environmental strategy to reduce vendor numbers in these two neighborhoods.  Researchers used the New York State Liquor Authority license website to track the number of active on-premise and off-premise outlets in 24 zip codes in the Inwood and Washington Heights neighborhoods, two predominantly Latino low-income neighborhoods, as well as surrounding communities.  These datasets were re-aggregated and used to develop maps of the relative density of licensed alcohol establishments per community district, a method more useful for local planning purposes. Findings revealed that the Inwood and Washington Heights neighborhoods had among the highest levels of vendor density when compared to surrounding neighborhoods. Using these findings, UNIDOS Coalition will work closely with the community board to provide outlet density data to pressure for fewer licenses within the district, in addition to begin educating the existing establishments about responsible serving practices.