Minding my own business: community attitudes towards underage drinking.

Underage drinking is a widespread national problem that requires continuous attention from different agencies and groups in the community. This project was funded by a 50-member local coalition that included groups such as researchers, faith-based organizations, law enforcement, parents, schools, community college, university, local businesses, drug rehabilitation centers, and neighborhood crime watch. The goals of the project were (a) to determine the attitude towards underage drinking among residents and (b) to identify possible solutions to addressing the problem of underage drinking. A purposeful, convenient sample was used to recruit participants for six focus groups. The focus groups consisted of five adult groups and one teen group. The study used a socio-ecological model to develop the interview guide and as a framework for analyzing the data. Some of the major themes identified include (a) kids will be kids, (b) alcohol is a rite of passage, (c) the community is tolerant of underage drinking, (d) parents are a large part of the problem, ( e) no one wants to get involved, and (f) the college town environment adds to the problem. The findings suggest that the socioecological model is an appropriate framework for assessing community's attitudes towards underage drinking and for planning future prevention programs and interventions. Recommendations for the coalition are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]