The Interplay of Local- and State-Level Alcohol Policies in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: Most research on alcohol control policies in the United States has focused on the state level. In this study, we assessed both local and state policy prevalence and restrictiveness in a nationwide sample of cities. METHOD: We conducted original legal research to assess prevalence of local-level policies across 374 cities (48 states) in 2019 for the following seven policy areas: (a) drink specials; (b) beverage service training; (c) minimum age for on-premise servers and bartenders; (d) minimum age for off-premise sellers; (e) prohibitions against hosting underage drinking parties (i.e., social host provisions); (f) bans on off-premise Sunday sales; and (g) keg registration. We obtained parallel state-level policies from the Alcohol Policy Information System. We assessed the restrictiveness of existing policies and how these compared across local and state levels. RESULTS: We found that for six of the seven policy areas, the majority of cities (53% to 83%) had only a state-level policy. Few cities (0% to 8% across policy areas) had only a local-level policy. The percentage of cities that had an alcohol policy at both the local and state levels ranged from less than 1% to 19% across policy areas, and the policies were mostly equally restrictive at both levels. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of local policies may point to areas where these localities could strengthen their alcohol policy environments. Additional research is needed to understand how the prevalence and restrictiveness of local and state policies are associated with public health harms such as traffic crashes.

Body Mass Index Trajectories and Biomarkers of Cardiometabolic Risk in Children from Low-Income and Racially and Ethnically Diverse Households.

Background: This study examined the associations between BMI trajectories and emerging cardiometabolic risk (CMR) in children living in low-income and racially and ethnically diverse households in the United States. Methods: Data were drawn from NET-Works randomized intervention trial and NET-Works 2 prospective follow-up study (N = 338). BMI was measured across 6 follow-up visits and biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk (CMR) at the sixth visit. Group-based trajectory modeling identified child BMI trajectories. Adjusted multivariable linear regressions evaluated the associations between BMI trajectories and CMR. Results: We identified two BMI trajectories: 25% followed a trajectory of steep BMI increase, and 75% followed a moderate decreasing BMI trajectory over time. Relative to children in the moderate decreasing trajectory, children in the increasing trajectory had higher adjusted mean levels of C-reactive protein [CRP; 3.3; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.6 to 5.0], leptin (63.1; 95% CI: 44.3 to 81.8), triglycerides (35.4; 95% CI: 22.1 to 48.6), triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio (1.2; 95% CI: 0.8 to 1.6), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1C; 0.1; 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.2), fasting glucose (1.8; 0.1 to 3.5) and insulin (8.8; 95% CI: 6.5 to 11.0), overall CMR score (0.7; 95% CI: 0.5 to 0.9), and lower adiponectin (-1.3; 95% CI: -2.5 to -0.1) and HDL (-10.8; 95% CI: -14.3 to -7.4). Conclusions: Children with high BMIs early in childhood were more likely to maintain an accelerated BMI trajectory throughout childhood, which was associated with adverse CMR in pre-adolescence. To advance health equity and support children's healthy weight and cardiovascular health trajectories, public health efforts are needed to address persistent disparities in childhood obesity and CMR.

Impact of delaying high school start times on weight and related behaviors - the START study.

In the US, few adolescents get adequate school night sleep, largely due to early school start times. In the START study we aimed to test the following hypothesis: That following the implementation of later high school start times students have lesser longitudinal increases in body mass index (BMI) and shift to more healthful weight-related behaviors relative to students attending schools that retain early start times. The study enrolled a cohort of students (n = 2426) in five high schools in the Twin Cities, MN metro. Heights and weights were measured objectively, and surveys were administered annually from 9th through 11th grades (2016-2018). All study schools started early (either 7:30 am or 7:45 am) at baseline (2016). At follow-up 1 (2017) and continuing through follow-up 2 (2018), two schools delayed their start times by 50-65 min, while three comparison schools started at 7:30 am throughout the observation period. Using a difference-in-differences natural experiment design, we estimated differences in changes in BMI and weight-related behaviors over time between policy change and comparison schools. Students' BMIs increased in parallel in both policy change and comparison schools over time. However relative to changes in comparison schools after the start time shift, students in policy change schools had a modestly more healthful profile of weight-related behaviors - for instance they had a relatively greater probability of eating breakfast, having supper with their family, getting more activity, eating fast food less frequently, and eating vegetables daily. Later start times could be a durable, population-wide strategy that promotes healthful weight behaviors.

Alcohol Enforcement in the United States From 2010 to 2019.

OBJECTIVE: Despite the important role of enforcement in reducing alcohol-related harms, few studies have assessed alcohol enforcement efforts, particularly over time. We assessed the prevalence of alcohol law enforcement strategies at two time points. METHOD: Of a random sample of U.S. local law enforcement agencies (i.e., police, sheriff) surveyed in 2010, 1,028 were resurveyed in 2019 (742/1,028 [72%] response rate). We assessed changes in alcohol enforcement strategies and priorities within three domains: (a) alcohol-impaired driving, (b) alcohol sales to obviously intoxicated patrons (i.e., overservice), and (c) underage drinking. RESULTS: Agencies reported placing higher priority on enforcement of alcohol-impaired driving and overservice in 2019 versus 2010. For alcohol-impaired driving enforcement strategies, we found increases over time in use of saturation patrols and in enforcing laws prohibiting open containers of alcohol in motor vehicles, but not in use of sobriety checkpoints. Approximately 25% of agencies conducted overservice enforcement in both years. For all strategies directed at underage drinking, enforcement decreased over time with more agencies using strategies aimed at underage drinkers versus alcohol suppliers (alcohol outlets, adults) in both years. CONCLUSIONS: Agencies reported continued low levels or declines in enforcement across most strategies despite reported increases in prioritizing alcohol enforcement. More agencies could adopt alcohol control enforcement strategies, including an increased focus on suppliers of alcohol to youth rather than on underage drinkers, and increased awareness and enforcement of selling alcohol to obviously intoxicated patrons. Use of these strategies has the potential to reduce health and safety consequences of excessive alcohol use.

The impact of delayed school start time on adolescent beverage consumption, findings from the START study.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to examine the effects of high school start time delay, a proven sleep-promoting intervention, on sugary beverage (SB) consumption among U.S. adolescents. METHODS: In the Spring of 2016 (baseline), the START study recruited 2134 ninth grade students who were enrolled high schools in the Twin Cities, MN metropolitan area. These participants were surveyed again in their 10th and 11th grade years, in Spring 2017 and 2018 (follow-ups 1 and 2). All five high schools started early (7:30 or 7:45 a.m.) at baseline. By follow-up 1, two "policy change" schools shifted their start times later (8:20 or 8:50 a.m.) and maintained these later start times through follow-up 2 while three "comparison schools" retained an early start time at all time points. Generalized estimating equations using a negative binomial distribution were used to obtain estimates of the number of sugary beverages consumed per day at each wave as well as the difference in difference (DiD) estimates between baseline and each follow-up period comparing policy change to comparison schools. RESULTS: Mean baseline sugary beverage consumption was 0.9 (1.5) beverages per day in policy change schools and 1.2 (1.7) beverages per day in the comparison schools. While there was no evidence of impact of start time change on total SB consumption, DiD estimates revealed a small decrease in the number of caffeinated sugary beverages consumed between baseline and the second follow-up period in students attending the policy change schools relative to comparison schools in both crude (0.11/day reduction, p-value = 0.048) and adjusted analyses (0.11/day reduction, p-value = 0.028). CONCLUSION: Although the differences in this study were quite modest, a population-wide reduction in sugary beverage consumption could have public health benefit.

School start time delays and high school educational outcomes: Evidence from the START/LEARN study.

INTRODUCTION: Delaying high school start times extends adolescents' nightly sleep, but it is less clear how it affects educational outcomes. We expect links between school start time delays and academic performance because getting enough sleep is a key input to the cognitive, health, and behavioral factors necessary for educational success. Thus, we evaluated how educational outcomes changed in the 2 years following a school start time delay. METHODS: We analyzed 2153 adolescents (51% male, 49% female; mean age 15 at baseline) from START/LEARN, a cohort study of high school students in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, USA metropolitan area. Adolescents experienced either a school start time delay ("policy change schools") or consistently early school start times ("comparison schools"). We compared patterns of late arrivals, absences, behavior referrals, and grade point average (GPA) 1 year before (baseline, 2015-2016) and 2 years after (follow-up 1, 2016-2017 and follow-up 2, 2017-2018) the policy change using a difference-in-differences analysis. RESULTS: A school start time delay of 50-65 min led to three fewer late arrivals, one fewer absence, a 14% lower probability of behavior referral, and 0.07-0.17 higher GPA in policy change schools versus comparison schools. Effects were larger in the 2nd year of follow-up than in the 1st year of follow-up, and differences in absences and GPA emerged in the second year of follow-up only. CONCLUSIONS: Delaying high school start times is a promising policy intervention not only for improving sleep and health but for improving adolescents' performance in school.

Alcohol-impaired driving enforcement priorities and strategies in a nationwide sample of U.S. law enforcement agencies.

OBJECTIVE: Excessive alcohol consumption leads to a range of public health problems and social and financial burdens. Traffic crashes resulting from alcohol-involved driving are a major contributor to the overall health consequences of alcohol. Various laws and enforcement strategies aim to prevent alcohol-involved driving. The extent to which law enforcement agencies prioritize enforcement of alcohol-impaired driving laws can help to reduce alcohol-impaired driving. Among law enforcement agencies in the US, we examined prioritization of alcohol-impaired driving enforcement and how it is associated with use of specific enforcement strategies, as well as agency and community characteristics. METHODS: We conducted a survey of a national sample of 1,024 US police and sheriff agencies in 2019. We assessed prioritization of alcohol-impaired driving enforcement, use of specific enforcement strategies (saturation patrols, sobriety checkpoints, open container law enforcement, training field officers to identify driving impairment), and agency and jurisdiction characteristics. We assessed how priority of enforcement (high vs. low) was associated with use of specific strategies, and agency and jurisdiction characteristics using regression models that accounted for agencies nesting within states. RESULTS: A majority of agencies (68%) placed a high priority on alcohol-impaired driving enforcement. Almost all agencies (93%) reported performing at least one alcohol-impaired driving enforcement strategy and the most common strategy used was saturation patrols. Agencies that prioritized alcohol-impaired driving enforcement were more likely to use sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols, conduct enforcement of open container laws and train field officers in identifying driving impairment (p < 0.05). They were also more likely to have an officer assigned primarily to alcohol enforcement, have an alcohol division, and serve jurisdictions that had fewer Black residents (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Many law enforcement agencies utilize strategies to address alcohol-impaired driving, however, some strategies are underutilized and an opportunity exists for agencies to incorporate additional strategies to help prevent alcohol-impaired driving. Agencies that made alcohol-impaired driving enforcement a priority were more likely to conduct related enforcement strategies. Encouraging police and sheriff agencies to prioritize alcohol-impaired driving enforcement may be an effective approach for preventing alcohol-related harms.

Strategies Used by Local Law Enforcement Agencies to Prevent Overservice of Alcohol in the United States.

Overservice of alcohol, defined as commercial provision of alcohol to an individual who is obviously intoxicated, is illegal in most states and contributes to motor vehicle crashes and violence. Law enforcement agencies use various strategies that aim to reduce overservice at licensed alcohol establishments (e.g., bars, restaurants). Place of Last Drink (POLD) data collection is an emerging overservice enforcement strategy. POLD identifies patterns of overservice, which can provide support for targeted interventions to prevent overservice at offending establishments. We describe the prevalence of POLD and other overservice enforcement strategies and associations with agency characteristics, which has important implications for public health and safety. We conducted a national survey of 1024 municipal (e.g., town, city) and county law enforcement agencies in 2019 (response rate = 73%). We assessed the use of overservice enforcement strategies conducted by the agencies over the past year. We examined associations of each type of overservice enforcement strategy with agency and jurisdiction characteristics using regression models. 27% of responding agencies reported conducting overservice enforcement and 7% conducted POLD data collection specifically. Municipal (vs. county) agencies and agencies with an officer assigned primarily to alcohol enforcement activities were significantly more likely to conduct overservice enforcement generally but not POLD data collection specifically. Overservice enforcement in general, and POLD data collection specifically, are not widely conducted. Prevention of overservice has the potential to reduce harms related to excessive alcohol consumption. Increased evaluation of overservice enforcement strategies should be prioritized.

Retailer Marketing Strategies and Customer Purchasing of Sweetened Beverages in Convenience Stores.

BACKGROUND: Marketing strategies for sweetened beverages (SBs) are pervasive across food retail. Yet few studies have examined how these strategies associate with planned and unplanned SB purchasing. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine whether customers with greater exposure to SB retail marketing (eg, advertisements and product placement) were more likely to purchase an SB and whether this varied by customer characteristics. DESIGN: This was an observational, cross-sectional study using objective customer purchasing and store assessment data from convenience and other small food stores. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Participants were 1,604 food and beverage customers at 144 randomly sampled convenience and other small food stores in Minneapolis-St Paul, MN. EXPOSURE: Marketing strategies, including SB advertisements, placement, and shelf space were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We determined the probability of customers purchasing ≥4 fluid ounces of a ready-to-drink sugar and/or artificially sweetened beverage. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Associations between marketing strategies and purchasing were estimated using mixed regression models, controlling for customer characteristics and accounting for customers nested within stores. RESULTS: Fifty-six percent of customers purchased an SB; 14% also specified that it was an unplanned purchase. Customers were more likely to purchase an SB when exterior advertisements (P < .001) and advertisements hanging from the ceiling (P < .001) that promoted SBs were present. Customers with moderate and high cumulative exposure to SB marketing were significantly more likely to purchase SBs (51.2% and 54.9%, respectively) than those with lower exposure (34%); this effect was particularly salient for men. There were no significant associations between retail marketing strategies and unplanned purchases. CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrate that feasible and sustainable approaches are required from policy makers, retailers, and public health professionals to shift store environments away from cues that promote unhealthy beverage selections. Given that numerous retail actors are invested in the availability, promotion, and sales of SBs, changing the predominance of SB marketing in convenience stores will likely be challenging and require cross-sector collaboration.

The influence of childhood and early adult adversities on substance use behaviours in racial/ethnically diverse young adult women: a latent class analysis.

Childhood and adult adversities occur more frequently among women and persons of colour, possibly influencing racial/ethnic disparities in substance use behaviours. This study investigates how childhood and adult adversities cluster together by race/ethnicity and how these clusters predict binge drinking, tobacco, e-cigarette, and marijuana use. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used in a combined sample from the 2015 to 2018 Minnesota College Student Health Survey to identify clusters of childhood and adult adversities among Asian, Black, Latina, and White women aged 18-25. Each substance use outcome was regressed on each adversity cluster across each race/ethnicity group. Across all racial/ethnic groups and substance use outcomes, the high adversity cluster exhibited the greatest risk. Significant racial/ethnic disparities were observed across several substance use behaviours; these were attenuated among women with fewer adversities. The reduced substance use disparities found among those with lower adversities suggest that prevention of adversities may advance health equity.

Evaluation of the efficacy of an intersection conflict warning system at two-way stop-controlled rural intersections: difference-in-differences and triple-difference analytical approaches.

OBJECTIVE: Intersection conflict warning systems (ICWSs) have been implemented at high-risk two-way stop-controlled intersections to prevent right-angle crashes and associated injuries. This study involved investigation of the impacts of ICWSs on crash reductions. METHODS: The study used a quasi-experimental design to analyse the potential causal relations between Minnesota's ICWSs and various crash rate outcomes (including total, injury, non-injury, targeted right-angle and non-right-angle crashes) in pre-post analyses. A restricted randomisation method enabled identification of three controls to each ICWS treatment intersection, and included as many comparable intersection characteristics as possible. Annual crash rates (per year per intersection) were analysed over the same periods before and after system activation for treatment and control intersections in each matched group. Pre-crash data for 3 years and post-crash data for up to 5 years were included, ranging from 2010 to 2018. Negative binomial regression models with generalised estimating equations were applied to estimate the average, immediate and continuing treatment effects of ICWSs, through the difference-in-differences and difference-in-difference-in-difference approaches, respectively. RESULTS: The ICWS treatment was significantly associated with a decreasing trend for targeted right-angle crash rates posttreatment. Although not statistically significant, most crash rate outcomes appeared to be elevated immediately after treatment (statistically significant for sideswipe crashes only). Pre-post differences in average crash rates (over entire periods), except for incapacitating injury-related crashes, were not statistically significant between treatment and control intersections. CONCLUSIONS: The study provided important insight into potential causal associations between intersection safety countermeasures and crashes at high-risk rural two-way stop-controlled intersections.

Differential effectiveness of the Minnesota Safe Patient Handling Act by health care setting: An exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: The Minnesota Safe Patient Handling (MN SPH) Act requires health care facilities to implement comprehensive programs to protect their workers from musculoskeletal injuries caused by lifting and transferring patients. Nursing homes, hospitals, and outpatient facilities each face unique challenges implementing and maintaining SPH programs. The objective of the study was to compare patient handling injuries in these three health care settings and determine whether change in injury rate over time differed by setting following enactment of the law. METHODS: Workers' compensation data from a Minnesota-based insurer were used to describe worker and claim characteristics in nursing homes, hospitals, and outpatient facilities. Negative binomial models were used to compare claims and estimate mean annual patient handling claim rates by health care setting and time period following enactment of the law. RESULTS: Consistent with national data, the patient handling claim rate was highest in Minnesota nursing homes (168 claims/$100 million payroll [95% confidence interval: 163-174]) followed by hospitals (35/$100 million payroll [34-37]) and outpatient facilities (2/$100 million payroll [1.8-2.2]). Patient handling claims declined by 38% over 10 years following enactment of the law (vs. 27% for all other claims). The change in claims over time did not differ by health care setting. CONCLUSIONS: In this single-insurer sample, declines in workers' compensation claims for patient handling injuries were consistent across health care settings following enactment of a state SPH law. Though nursing homes experienced elevated claim rates overall, results suggest they are not lagging hospitals and outpatient facilities in reducing patient handling injuries.

Design and evaluation of a rural intersection conflict warning system and alternative designs among various driver age groups.

Advanced Rural Intersection Conflict Warning Systems (RICWS) were deployed as countermeasures to reduce severe right-angle crashes at rural thru-STOP controlled intersections across the United States (U.S.). The simulator study designed and evaluated alternative RICWS designs to existing RICWS interventions, in varying rural driving scenarios, across age groups (N = 40 novice teenage, 40 middle-aged, and 40 older drivers). Each participant was randomly assigned to a RICWS design, either the original or an alternative, and drove through sequences of 17 thru-STOP controlled rural intersections (nine RICWS intervention and eight control intersections). Drivers' gap acceptance performance, intersection driving performance, traffic violation behaviors and self-reported workload were evaluated between intervention and control intersections. Regression models, applying the Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE), enabled efficacy determination of each RICWS design and an aggregated RICWS intervention effect, averaged across all simulated RICWS designs, among different levels of moderating factors. The safety performance and possible risks associated with the use of different RICWS designs were identified. Specifically, the original RICWS design had a significantly greater risk of STOP-sign violations at clear-view intersections with low traffic volumes, compared with control intersections (Risk Ratio = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.03 to 4.64). Except for Alternative RICWS Design 1, the alternative RICWS designs did not appear to outperform the Original RICWS Design. The moderating effects of drivers' ages and intersection types on aggregated RICWS intervention effects were also examined. This study provides important safety implications for development and evaluation of intelligent intersection warning systems, targeted to vulnerable driver populations at high-risk rural intersections.

Weekend night vs. school night sleep patterns, weight status, and weight-related behaviors among adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we examine associations between objectively measured weekend night vs. school night sleep patterns, weight status, and weight-related behaviors among adolescents. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Five Minnesota high schools that started early (7:30 or 7:45 AM) in Spring 2016. PARTICIPANTS: Ninth grade students, ages 14.5-16 years (n = 284). MEASUREMENTS: Students completed surveys, had body measurements taken, and wore sleep (wrist) actigraphs for 1 week (n = 284). We examined weekend night-school night differences in sleep duration and sleep timing. We then assessed whether these factors were related to weight status and weight-related behaviors (eating behaviors, food consumption, physical activity, beverage consumption) using generalized linear mixed models. RESULTS: On average, students slept 1.5 hours (95% confidence interval 1.3-1.7) more and had a sleep midpoint 1.9 hours (1.8-2.1) later on weekend nights compared to school nights. Female students had larger increases in sleep duration on weekend nights than males but similar timing differences. Sleep duration differences were uncorrelated with sleep timing differences (r = 0.01). Neither duration nor timing differences were associated with overweight, obesity, or any of the eating behaviors we examined. However, sleeping longer on weekend nights than on school nights was associated with lower probability of being active 6-7 days per week (p = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents have substantial sleep duration and sleep timing differences on weekend nights vs. school nights. While these differences may not be associated with weight status or weight-related behaviors, they reflect the reality that most adolescents have schedules that restrict their sleep.

Associations between LGBTQ+-supportive school and community resources and suicide attempts among adolescents in Massachusetts.

Supportive school and community resources are associated with reduced risk of suicidality among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ +) adolescents as well as their cisgender, heterosexual peers. This study examined whether adolescents attending schools and living in communities with more versus fewer LGBTQ +-supportive resources were at lower risk of a past-year suicide attempt. Data on sexual orientation and past-year suicide attempt were obtained from student surveys administered in 30 Massachusetts public high schools between 2014 and 2017 (N = 20,790). Data on school resources were obtained from a questionnaire administered to school officials, and community resources were assessed through internet searching. Modified Poisson generalized estimating equations tested associations between school and community LGBTQ +-supports and suicide attempt separately by sex/gender, adjusting for student, school, and community covariates. Several school resources and the availability of community-wide LGBTQ +-supportive resources were associated with lower risk of a suicide attempt among several subgroups of students, even after controlling for the presence of multiple school and community resources and covariates. For example, the risk of a suicide attempt among gay, bisexual and questioning boys in schools with a gender-neutral restroom was approximately half compared to gay, bisexual and questioning boys in schools without this resource. Past year suicide attempts were also significantly lower among questioning, RR = 0.56, CI [0.37-0.86], and heterosexual, RR = 0.59, CI [0.50-0.68], girls living in communities with more supportive resources compared to those in communities with fewer resources. LGBTQ +-supportive resources in schools and communities may be beneficial for all adolescents regardless of sexual orientation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Association of Delaying School Start Time With Sleep-Wake Behaviors Among Adolescents.

PURPOSE: Few adolescents spend enough time asleep on school nights. This problem could be addressed by delaying high school start times, but does this translate to reduced prevalence of sleep-wake problems like awakening too early or feeling sleepy during the day? METHODS: The START study (n = 2,414) followed a cohort of students from five Minnesota high schools to evaluate impacts of school start time delays. Participants were enrolled in ninth grade (Baseline) when all schools started early (7:30 or 7:45 a.m.). At Follow-Up 1 (10th grade) and Follow-Up 2 (11th grade), two schools had delayed their start times by 50 and 65 minutes while three comparison schools started at 7:30 a.m. Six sleep-wake behaviors were assessed at all three time points via survey. Generalized estimating equation models were used to investigate changes in sleep-wake problems between policy change and comparison schools. RESULTS: The prevalence of sleep-wake problems at Baseline ranged from 11% for being late to class due to oversleeping to 48% for needing to be told to wake multiple times in the morning. Compared to students from comparison schools, students at policy change schools reported smaller increases in the prevalence of feeling sleepy daily and oversleeping and being late to class between 9th and 11th grade. After implementation of the delayed start, awakening too early was more common among students at policy change schools compared to the comparison schools. CONCLUSIONS: This longitudinal study provides evidence that delaying high school start times reduces daytime sleepiness and school tardiness.

An examination of how alcohol enforcement strategies by sheriff and police agencies are associated with alcohol-impaired-driving fatal traffic crashes.

Objective: Over 10,000 people die in alcohol-impaired-driving traffic crashes every year in the U.S. Approximately half of alcohol-impaired drivers report their last drink was at a bar or restaurant, and most bars and restaurants serve alcohol to patrons who are already intoxicated, known as overservice. Law enforcement agencies use various strategies to address alcohol-impaired driving and overservice but research on the effectiveness of these strategies is limited. Our objective was to assess whether law enforcement efforts focusing on alcohol-impaired driving and alcohol overservice were associated with alcohol-impaired-driving fatal traffic crashes.Methods: We conducted a survey of police and sheriff agencies in 1,082 communities across the U.S. in 2010 regarding their alcohol enforcement practices. We assessed whether the agency conducted: (1) alcohol overservice enforcement and (2) alcohol-impaired driving enforcement (sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols, open container, overall alcohol-impaired driving enforcement). From the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (2009-2013), we obtained counts of alcohol-impaired-driving fatal traffic crashes (at least one driver had blood alcohol content ≥ 0.08) within the agency's jurisdiction boundary and within a 10-mile buffer. Using multi-level regression, we assessed whether each enforcement type was associated with alcohol-impaired-driving fatal crashes (per 100,000 population). For both the jurisdiction boundary and 10-mile buffer, we ran stratified models based on community/agency type: (1) small town/rural police; (2) urban/suburban police and (3) sheriffs.Results: In jurisdiction boundary models, urban/suburban communities where police conducted overservice enforcement (compared to those that did not) had fewer alcohol-impaired-driving fatal crashes (5.0 vs. 6.6; p = 0.01). For the 10-mile buffer, small town/rural communities where police agencies conducted overservice enforcement (compared to those that did not) had fewer alcohol-impaired-driving fatal crashes (16.9 vs. 21.2; p = 0.01); we found similar results for small town/rural communities where police used saturation patrols (18.7 vs. 22.1; p = 0.05) and had overall high alcohol-impaired driving enforcement (18.7 vs. 22.1; p = 0.05). The direction and the size of the effects for other types of enforcement and agencies were similar, but not statistically significant.Conclusions: Alcohol enforcement strategies among police agencies in small town/rural communities may be particularly effective in reducing alcohol-impaired fatal traffic crashes. Results varied by enforcement, agency and community type.

Intimate partner violence and social connection among married women in rural Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is high among married women in Bangladesh. Social isolation is a well-established correlate of women's exposure to IPV, but the role of such factors in low-income and middle-income countries is not well understood. In this study, we explore whether social connection is protective against IPV among married women in rural Bangladesh. METHODS: Data were drawn from a multistage, stratified, population-based longitudinal sample of 3355 married women in rural Bangladesh, who were surveyed on individual and contextual risk factors of IPV. Negative binomial regression models were used to estimate the association between three different domains of social connection (natal family contact, female companionship and instrumental social support), measured at baseline in 2013, and the risk of three different forms of IPV (psychological, physical and sexual), approximately 10 months later, adjusted for woman's level of education, spouse's level of education, level of household wealth, age and age of marriage. RESULTS: Adjusted models showed that instrumental social support was associated with a lower risk of past year psychological IPV (risk ratio (RR)=0.84, 95% CI 0.769 to 0.914), sexual IPV (RR=0.90, 95% CI 0.822 to 0.997) and physical IPV (RR=0.81, 95% CI 0.718 to 0.937). Natal family contact was also associated with a lower risk of each type of IPV, but not in a graded fashion. Less consistent associations were observed with female companionship. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that social connection, particularly in the form of instrumental support, may protect married women in rural Bangladesh from experiencing IPV.

Small food store retailers' views on healthy food retail policy in response to a local staple foods ordinance.

OBJECTIVE: Our objectives were to explore attitudes regarding food retail policy and government regulation among managers of small food stores and examine whether manager views changed due to the 2014 Minneapolis Staple Foods Ordinance, a city policy requiring retailers to stock specific healthy products. DESIGN: Manager interviewer-administered surveys were used to assess views on food retail policy four times from 2014 to 2017. We examined baseline views across manager and store and neighbourhood characteristics using cross-sectional regression analyses and examined changes over time using mixed regression models. In 2017, open-ended survey questions asked about manager insights on the Minneapolis Staple Foods Ordinance. SETTING: Minneapolis, MN, where the ordinance was enacted, and St. Paul, MN, a control community, USA. PARTICIPANTS: Managers from 147 small food retail stores. RESULTS: At baseline, 48 % of managers were likely to support a policy requiring stores to stock healthy foods/beverages, 67·5 % of managers were likely to support voluntary programmes to help retailers stock healthy foods and 23·7 % agreed government regulation of business is good/necessary. There was a significant increase in overall support for food retail policies and voluntary programmes from 2014 to 2017 (P < 0·01); however, neither increase differed by city, suggesting no differential impact from the ordinance. Minneapolis store managers reported some challenges with ordinance compliance and offered suggestions for how local government could provide support. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that managers of small food retail stores are becoming increasingly amenable to healthy food policies; yet, challenges need to be addressed to ensure healthy food is available to all customers.

Serious Mental Illness and Smoking Cessation Treatment Utilization: the Role of Healthcare Providers.

Healthcare provider barriers to cessation resources may be undercutting quit rates for smokers with serious mental illness (SMI). The study aim was to examine how providers influence cessation treatment utilization among smokers with SMI. Data were taken from a trial conducted among smokers in Minnesota Health Care Programs. The sample was split into groups of participants with SMI (n = 939) and without SMI (n = 1382). Analyses assessed whether the association between SMI and treatment utilization was mediated by healthcare provider-delivered treatment advice and healthcare provider bias. Results revealed higher rates of treatment utilization among smokers with SMI than those without SMI (45.9% vs 31.7%, p < 0.001); treatment advice and provider bias did not mediate this association. Subsequent individual regression analyses revealed positive associations between treatment advice and treatment utilization (ß 0.21-0.25, p < 0.05), independent of SMI status. Strategies to increase low-income smokers' contacts with providers may reduce treatment utilization barriers among these smokers.