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Tag: Responsible Alcohol Beverage Server

Sales of Alcohol to Apparently Intoxicated Customers in Three States

Sales of Alcohol to Apparently Intoxicated Customers in Three States

Most states prohibit sales of alcohol to customers who are apparently intoxicated. Many states require training in responsible beverage service, with the aim of reducing driving while intoxicated (DWI) and other harms.

Klein Buendel scientists and staff, along with a research collaborator from the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, assessed alcohol sales to apparently intoxicated patrons across three states. Their findings were published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

A sample of 180 establishments licensed for on-site alcohol sales was selected in California (n=60), New Mexico (n=60), and Washington state (n=60). The three states had different RBS training histories, content, and procedures. Research confederates, trained to feign cues of alcohol intoxication, visited each establishment twice. The pseudo-intoxicated patron ordered an alcoholic beverage while displaying intoxication cues. Sale of alcohol was the primary outcome.

At 179 establishments assessed, the pseudo-intoxicated patrons were served alcohol during 56.5% of 356 visits (35.6% of establishments served and 22.6% did not serve at both visits). Alcohol sales were less frequent in New Mexico (47.9%) and Washington state (49.6%) than in California (72.0%). Servers less consistently refused service at both visits in California (6.8%) than New Mexico (33.9%) or Washington (27.1%). Alcohol sales were higher when intoxication cues were less obvious.

Over-service of alcohol to apparently intoxicated customers was frequent and likely elevated risk of DWI and other harms. The lower sales in New Mexico and Washington than California may show that a policy approach prohibiting sales to intoxicated customers combined with well-established RBS training can reduce over-service. The authors concluded that further efforts are needed to reduce over-service of alcohol to intoxicated patrons.

This research was supported by a grant to Klein Buendel from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (AA029364; W. Gill Woodall and David Buller, Multiple Principal Investigators). Collaborating authors include Dr. Robert Saltz from the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation in Berkley, California, Dr. Gary Cutter from the University of Alabama, and Ms. Lila Martinez, Ms. Annelise Small, and Mr. Noah Chirico from Klein Buendel.

Online Responsible Alcohol Beverage Server Training for Spanish Language Populations

Online Responsible Alcohol Beverage Server Training for Spanish Language Populations

Data from a Klein Buendel (KB) research project on the formative development of an online responsible alcohol beverage server training program for Spanish language populations the U.S. Southwest was presented in June at the 41st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism in San Diego, California.

Preventing alcohol-related injury and death is a national priority. Evidence-based interventions to change organizational and community norms, including training to promote responsible alcohol beverage service (RBS), are important public health approaches. However, current RBS training has not been tailored to address Spanish-speaking populations that represent disproportionately high rates of alcohol-related injury and death in the U.S. WayToServe®, an evidence-based RBS intervention, is being redesigned to promote a culturally and linguistically adapted RBS training for Spanish-speaking servers, titled WayToServe Español.

Four focus groups were conducted with Spanish-speaking alcohol servers to identify linguistic and culturally relevant additions to create WayToServe Español. Focus groups were held in El Paso, Texas, on weekdays in spring 2017, between 1:30-3:00 pm. Of the 37 participants, all were either monolingual or bilingual Spanish-speakers and active or recent alcohol sellers/servers. Research team members conducted the groups. The discussions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim from Spanish to English. Two team members reviewed all transcripts for recurring ideas and comments and then categorized them into main themes.

Preliminary analysis identified four overarching themes: (1) challenges faced by servers, such as setting clear limits for alcohol service for their patrons; (2) support for RBS training; (3) participants’ evaluations of previous training (for example, the low quality of existing Spanish-language RBS training; and (4) their recommendations for Spanish-language RBS training, such as the importance of culturally-respectful training. Participants noted easy access to the web-based RBS training. Overall, the data suggest that WayToServe Español for Spanish-speaking servers is an important step in the creation of culturally- and linguistically-relevant approaches to enhance RBS.

This research project is titled “WayToServe Español: A Culturally-Appropriate Online Responsible Beverage Service Training for Spanish-Speaking Servers” and is funded by the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health (R44MD010405. Dr. W. Gill Woodall, a KB Senior Scientist, is the project’s Principal Investigator. Collaborating co-authors on this presentation included Dr. Victoria Sanchez from the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Dr. Areli Chacon Silva and Dr. Frank Perez from the University of Texas at El Paso, and Ms. Jeanny Camacho Reither, KB Senior Project Coordinator.