Research Workgroup

Data are needed for: Framing the issue Identification of the problem Identification of what policy solutions are needed Determining what policies/strategies are supported by the general public, government officials, etc. Assessing effects of policy changes on consumption/problems/costs

Important Questions: What is the contribution of alcohol to health/societal problems? How much do economic problems cost the country, city, etc? What are the industry strategies being used? Are enacted policies effective? How well are the policies being implemented? What has helped or hindered implementation?

Potential challenges to policy research: How research is structured/paid for in each country How much money is available for this type of research Building relationships between advocates/practitioners and alcohol policy researchers Lack of relevant data readily available at the national, state, and local levels Lack of systems in place to allow monitoring and evaluation Limited evaluation capacity of advocacy/policy organization Lack of standard measures of alcohol use, related problems, and environmental determinants

Goal of workgroup: (1) Develop recommendations (2) Identify specific steps for what we need to do to achieve recommendations

Guiding Questions? What would be helpful to other countries beginning to work on alcohol policy? What is needed to continue expanding alcohol policy work? Possible guiding questions:

(1) What have been the most useful pieces of research/data/information for getting effective policies passed and effectively implemented, based on our experiences from country to country?

(2) What is a “best practices” agenda of key research questions that ought to be answered for any country trying to implement effective policies to reduce underage drinking?

(3) What are the research gaps that exist worldwide?

Other guiding questions?

Is this a starting place? (1)Has research played a meaningful role in addressing underage drinking policies in your country? How or why not? (2) What research has helped convince policy makers to pass policies in your country? (3)What research has increased support for policy among the general public in your country? (4)What are barriers in your country to using research to influence policy? How have you overcome the barriers? (5)What are current research gaps in your country related to underage drinking?